


part #1: beyond the kcs ambition

by vonseal



Series: End of an Orbit [1]
Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Outer Space, Romance, Science Fiction, Spaceships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 17:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 46,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14981921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: beyond the kcs ambition, on the bustling planet of mars, life continues onward. onward, of course, means different things for different people. for myungjun, it means continuing to betray his company and uncover all the secrets it's been hiding. for dongmin, it means continuing to pine after the one man who won't be close to him. and, for minhyuk, it means blasting off into space, light-years away from mars, and working hard to bring down the kyklos syndicate.





	1. Dione Station

**Author's Note:**

> i've been mentioning this for a few days now, but here it is, the sci-fi space fic no one at all asked for but we're delivering anyway! by WE i mean the other faithful author of the series, [snibnoom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snibnoom/pseuds/snibnoom). this series will make the most sense if you read both my fics and MK's fics - but i dont dictate your life. do as you will. (you'll just miss out if you only read one or the other)
> 
> mk's fic can be found [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/34721879)!

Dongmin’s home was rather empty.

It had always been like that. He supposed he shouldn’t feel too lonesome whenever he walked through his front entrance, but he couldn’t shake that feeling of utter, intense loneliness that cascaded upon him. Things had been fine, too, a few years ago, back when he was younger and naive and not at all lovesick. He could always count on feeling happy upon arriving home. 

Now, though, he looked to the stars instead.

Not that he could see them very well. The light pollution from his city made the Martian sky a little dingy. He had heard that Earth’s sky was far prettier. He heard they could see galaxies upon galaxies at any spot they desired. Civilization hardly existed there anymore; after it became a safe-zone, it was abandoned by humans. Permanent settlements were forbidden.

Still, people needed adventure and excitement, and Dongmin heard talk in the street from the more thrill-seeking sort of their exploits on other planets. They claimed to have seen vast landscapes and gorgeous skies. They would travel far and wide and seek out the more interesting of planets and moons.

Dongmin’s father, too, had seen sights other than what Mars had to offer, and while Dongmin felt slightly jealous at all his father had seen, he was happy where he was. Space was too large, too open, and Dongmin would much rather feel grounded at home. He belonged here, on Mars, in his lonely house with his lonely life.

He shakes his head, rousing himself from his musing, and travels forward, flipping on the lights as he goes. The room, shrouded in green from the glow outside, is now bathed in glorious, bright lights, displaying the full extent of his house. Its clean, as it always is, and it's beautiful, as it always is, but Dongmin finds his attention drawn to his windows, instead. He peeks out of the curtains, up at the night sky. He sees a few ships leaving the atmosphere, shooting off quickly into space, and recognizes the usual shape and size of a Kyklos cargo ship. 

Dongmin knows those ships all too well. His father, after all, has a position within the Kyklos Syndicate, a very prominent job wherein he helps control the flow and direction of the cargo to other planets. He had access to these ships, and, by default, Dongmin did, too. Dongmin knew the ships inside and out. He explored the ones stationed on Mars sometimes, especially when he was younger, and learned exactly how they worked. They were small and cozy and, at one point, Dongmin had considered leaving his home and living out in space, delivering cargo to various planets and exploring all that the great unknown had to offer him.

But that was an offer he had refused. That was an offer he had rejected.

He wasn’t sure if he regretted his decision.

Dongmin is startled from his musing from a beep on his watch. He jumps slightly, then sighs at himself and glances down at his wrist. The time is displayed, but that certainly isn’t the reason his heart beats wildly.

Bin had probably landed, by that point.

Memories of Bin flooded Dongmin’s mind as he hurried over into a different room. When he had met Bin, the boy was nothing but confident and smooth and oh-so-handsome. He had caught Dongmin’s attention immediately. The attraction was made all the better when he learned that Bin was sweet, and kind, and thoughtful. He was someone Dongmin had fallen for very quickly.

But Bin was second in command on a cargo ship. He had dreams and hopes and high expectations for his future life. He wanted to travel across space, to different worlds and stars, and Dongmin had chosen a life on Mars. He had chosen to stay by himself.

Still, his heart raced when he thought of Bin. He still longed for the man, and even if their only form of communication happened rarely and quickly, Dongmin would take it. He would take whatever Bin had to offer him. Maybe, from now on, he would no longer reject Bin.

The door to the CTL room opens and Dongmin doesn’t bother trying to stifle his own smile. He’s excited to get this chance again, this chance to speak to Bin, and his fingers are only slightly shaky as he turns to the computer on the wall and starts to input information. It takes a while to boot up, reminding Dongmin that he probably needed to upgrade the older system, but it finally asks him for a user ID. He enters in his own, then opens his connection up for transmission requests. Bin always contacts him first, and just in case the ship isn’t docked yet, Dongmin will simply have to wait.

He watches as the lasers on the ceiling line up to properly display their connection. Dongmin’s form will be cast onto Bin’s ship in holographic shape; likewise, at any moment, Bin should appear in front of him, fully visible but not yet fully there. Dongmin finds it upsetting that society has yet to find a way to transport Bin completely to him, but he has to take what he can get. For the time being, he will simply deal with the struggles of communication-transmission by light - or, CTL, to get rid of such a mouthful of a word.

Dongmin keeps waiting. At one point he sits, but then stands again a few seconds later. He’s never quite sure how he should appear for such a communication experience. Bin always seems at ease, but Dongmin finds the process difficult. It’s hard to be casual when they’re practically light-years away from each other.

He hears the computer beep, just as he was in the process of sitting again, and he hops to his feet as a connection is finally established. Bin’s figure flickers to light just across from him. He’s seated, leaning back on his arms, and smiling widely.

Dongmin tries to tell himself to allow Bin to speak first, to not seem so desperate, but words leave his mouth before he can stop them. “Bin!” he exclaims, giggling, “I was starting to wonder if your ship’s CTL worked anymore!”

“Yeah, well, you could’ve contacted me, first,” Bin responds. He looks so casual, as per usual, sitting back and treating the CTL call as if he was actually there in Dongmin’s room.

Dongmin follows in Bin’s stead, sitting down on the floor and trying his best to remain comfortable. “I never contact you first,” Dongmin teased, smiling widely at the man before him. “What if I try and set up a connection, only to find you’ve gotten off the station?” Bin seems to accept his words, shrugging softly, and Dongmin hums. “Where are you now, anyway?”

“Gilese System,” came Bin’s immediate response.

His location made no sense to Dongmin. Bin worked for the Kyklos Syndicate, delivering cargo and performing odd jobs for the company. While Kyklos’ influence certainly reached out to the Gilese System, there would be no reason for Bin and his crew to be out so far. In their current positions, they were to stay closer to Mars; at least, that was the information Bin had revealed to him the last time they had talked. A sudden trip to a new system was strange, odd.

“We’re, um, at the Dione Station,” Bin continued. He didn’t seem to sense Dongmin’s confusion. “Orbiting Leda.”

“All the way out there?” Dongmin asked, his eyes widening. “Why...why would Kyklos send you all the way out there?”

“Uh, well...routine pickup.” Bin grinned suddenly, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We’re low on stuff, too - mostly food. I think it’s Hyunseo. He thinks every meal is a buffet.”

Bin was certainly mean to his crewmates, but he still had such a charming way of talking that Dongmin couldn’t help but laugh. He sometimes longed to be part of that crew, to deal with Bin’s incessant teasing and mockery, to have the chance to see him every single day. It would be a far better fate than having to deal with a few stolen moments in between weeks. “It’s a shame we can’t talk to each other more often,” Dongmin mumbled. He leaned forward, feeling far more comfortable now with allowing himself to go at ease. 

Bin agreed, nodding his head. “Kyklos has us running all sorts of errands,” he said, voice sounding apologetic. “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it home again for another six months.”

“Six months?” Dongmin hadn’t realized that Bin would be gone for so long. He had never been given a return date, but he had assumed Bin would try hard to make an effort to arrive sooner than that; six months was way too long to continue to be away from Bin, especially when they hadn’t seen each other in such a long time already.

“Maybe more, depending on how things go with scheduling.” Bin’s voice broke through Dongmin’s thoughts, and Dongmin bit his lip in frustration as Bin continued, “I’m sorry, Dongmin. Each crew member gets visitation time, though, and Jinwoo’s lined up next.”

“It’s just...it’s a long time,” Dongmin admitted. There was still so much they had to discuss, still so much they had to share. Dongmin found it too awkward to talk of such deep, personal things over the CTL. He really didn’t want to bring up their kiss, either, that one kiss they had shared before Bin left him. Not over CTL. In person, perhaps, when they could touch each other and feel each other and quite possibly pick up where they last left off.

With CTL, however, things would feel too uncomfortable, and even if they established anything, their relationship would still have to wait until Bin arrived back home. There was hardly much of a point.

“I wish I could come back sooner,” Bin said, smiling gently over the transmission. “There’s nothing quite like the weather on Mars.”

Dongmin returned Bin’s smile, and then he scooted forward. “I’ll wait for you.”

Bin blinked. “Huh?”

“I said, I’ll wait for you!” Bin looked lost, confused, and Dongmin chuckled before continuing, “I feel like...I feel like this might have worked, had you stayed here with me.” It was a deep discussion, one they weren’t really supposed to have until they were together again, and Dongmin was nervous to say anything, but he couldn’t help the words that spilled from his mouth. He scooted forward, nearly touching the black line that signified the cut-off point of his image, but he went no further then that. He was as close to Bin as he could possibly get for the moment, and he sighed heavily.

Bin stared at him, longing in those eyes, and he took a deep breath. “If you had asked me to stay, I would’ve.”

The sudden confession made Dongmin hesitate, wrought with confusion. That didn’t make sense. Bin  _ loved _ being out in space. He couldn’t stay grounded; he wouldn’t stay grounded. Even for Dongmin, Bin would not give up his current life, and Dongmin knew it. “You don’t mean that,” he scoffed, though he wasn’t sure what was true anymore. “You  _ can’t _ mean that.”

“I do,” Bin assured. “If you had asked me when I was there, when I was on Mars with you, then I would’ve stayed.”

While Dongmin was certain Bin was lying, or at least fibbing a little bit, the look in his gaze was sincere and genuine. Perhaps, then, there was something Bin kept inside of him, some sort of longing to stay just as grounded as Dongmin was.

Before things could continue, Dongmin noticed Bin’s head swivel around, looking in a direction Dongmin could not see. He heard a voice, someone else, talking to Bin, who responded in kind with a, “Tell her to give me five more minutes,” and then, after the other person answered, Bin fussed, “Tell her, as second in command, I need five more minutes.”

The person who had been there must have taken their exit, for Bin face Dongmin again with a sigh. “That’s my cue, I guess. My crew has awful timing.”

Dongmin understood, however. Bin was a busy person with an important job and a hectic life. He  _ needed _ to go out with the rest of the crew, to perform his duties properly, and so Dongmin smiled and nodded his head. “It’s okay. Do what you need to do for Kyklos. I’m...I’m not going anywhere.” He wouldn’t leave Bin. The next time Bin needed to speak with him, Dongmin would be ready for him.

“I won’t wait another week, if I can help it,” Bin promises. “I’ll talk to you as soon as I possibly can.”

He begins to shut the CTL down, and Dongmin gives him one final wave as the transmission ends and Bin fizzles out of sight.

His heart hammered with the end of their line of communication. He wanted to continue the conversation, to figure out if Bin was truly serious about staying on Mars with him. He hadn’t sounded at all like he was lying, and, really, there was no reason for him to lie. 

Dongmin sighed and fell backwards, staring up at his ceiling and ordering the computer to turn off. The room darkened, and Dongmin felt alone once more.

“Six more months,” he whispered to himself.

He could wait until then.

 

************************

 

“Is he still talking to Dongmin?” Sanha wondered, staring over at the busy and crowded port. His question seemed to be left in the air, not directed at any particular person, and since Jinwoo was busy with the device he held, Minhyuk took it upon himself to answer.

“He is. He said he’d only be about five more minutes, though.”

Jinwoo was listening in, apparently, for he scoffed and mumbled, “It was less of a suggestion and more of an order for him to come down.”

“He invoked second-in-command powers.”

“Yeah? And I invoked first-in-command powers.”

Minhyuk had no response to give, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and gazed around the station. He was technically third-in-command, though unlike Jinwoo and Bin, he didn’t like to boast his powers. Besides, he was far more comfortable with his role of chief engineer. He fixed things that went wrong, and he had a smaller brigade of engineers to order around. That was enough power for him.

“Can I invoke pilot powers?” Sanha asked suddenly, cheerful and filled with glee. “I want to go find a new planet so I can name it myself.”

“You’d only name it something stupid,” Minhyuk retorted.

Sanha looked appalled. “I would not! I have a few names in mind.  _ Sanha’s Planet _ , or, better yet,  _ Sanha’s Cool Planet _ !” He laughed when Minhyuk rolled his eyes. “You’re just jealous, I think.”

“I’m embarrassed to call you a friend.”

“Mm, we both know that isn’t true.” Sanha’s attention didn’t stay too long on Minhyuk. “Hey, Jinwoo, where did Myungjun tell us to go after this?”

Jinwoo looked up with a scowl. “Call him  _ MJ _ when we’re out and about,” he reminded. “And we need to focus on this mission, first and foremost. We need Bin out here for that, and if he doesn’t haul his ass out in five seconds-”

“He’s there!” Sanha exclaimed, and he waved his hand up wildly. “Bin!” he called. “Over here!”

Minhyuk had long since given up trying to keep Sanha quiet. The boy was too loud for his own good, but most of the crew members had learned to tune him out.

Bin hurried forward, uttering a soft apology for holding them up, which everyone promptly ignored in order to focus more on the business at hand.

“I don’t think I need to go into the whole spiel again,” Jinwoo muttered, handing Minhyuk, Sanha, and Bin a small shopping bag each. “Look for a blue band on their wrist; right or left, either, or. It doesn’t matter. Then ask if you can buy acorns. They’ll say they don’t have acorns, and they’ll offer something else. Buy it, regardless of what it is, and we can figure out the messages hidden inside later on.”

“Acorns,” Sanha snorted, but it turned into a giggle. Minhyuk nudged him harshly, pointedly glancing at a few crew members still milling around. It wouldn’t do good for their cover to be blown simply because their pilot couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

They dispersed then, off their own separate ways to gather intel on the Kyklos Syndicate’s illegal deeds. Minhyuk had always known, growing up, that he was practically born to bring down the Syndicate. After all, they had forced their influence upon countless people. Minhyuk’s own home was taken up under their control. His family and friends were stuck in labor camps, made to work for practically nothing. Their homes were in containment pods, away from the harsh outside world that his uninhabitable moon had to offer, but with Kyklos in control, families were stuffed into even smaller locations. Minhyuk slept on the floor, shivering with cold every single night, working hard in crowded locations every single day. He had known of no better life for himself - and then he met Myungjun.

Myungjun was in the same situation he was, forced into labor, forced into submission. But Myungjun was stubborn and longed to be in control of his own life. He played the part of a man loyal to Kyklos Syndicate. He shunned those who rebelled against Kyklos and pledged an oath to serve and work only for Kyklos Syndicate. Minhyuk was the only one privy to his true intentions. Even as Myungjun spied on his neighbors and sent them away for crimes against Kyklos, he gathered intel to use in order to bring down the company.

“I have to sacrifice some people,” Myungjun had told Minhyuk one evening, right before he left for Mars. “But, in the end, they’ll be freed. Everyone will be freed. My parents...they’ll be freed, too.”

Minhyuk sighed, memories of his time on their moon - Helen - swirling through his head. They were close to the moon, too. Minhyuk’s family still resided there, still slaved away for the Kyklos Syndicate. 

Minhyuk refused to return. He still felt guilt for the people he had sacrificed, and he couldn’t bear to go back to a place that housed such bad memories.

He decided to push his past aside, though, as he normally did. He did what he had to in order to work alongside Myungjun, in order to bring down the Syndicate. He was fortunate enough that he was on the ship of a captain who had the same goal in mind.

Their mission for the day was simple enough. The Dione Station was filled with people who also wished to see the end of the Kyklos Syndicate. The Dione Station orbited Leda, after all, another planet with slaves for the Syndicate, and they would exchange information with those against Kyklos in an effort to free themselves.

Minhyuk longed to see all planets freed. He longed to see his family live life for themselves.

It was illegal work, what they did, but Minhyuk comforted himself at night by remembering that enslaving entire populations was illegal enough, anyway. Kyklos only got away with it because they had money and influence, and perhaps the governments would turn a blind eye if offered enough credits.

But if information was revealed to the public, it would be enough to cause an uproar, and Kyklos would be forced to either change their ways or shut down completely. 

Minhyuk traveled from booth to booth, looking for those with blue bands on their wrist. He found a few, and instantly asked them for acorns. They always made him buy something else, usually something they handcrafted themselves. He received many useless goods, from skincare products to discarded pieces of equipment. By the end of his ventures, he felt as if each and every storekeeper had taken advantage of him, and he knew he was glowering by the time he met up with Bin again.

Bin smiled at him. “Got everything you needed?”

“I guess,” Minhyuk mumbles, thinking of the stupid, old computer hard drive he had been forced to purchase. “I’m pretty sure I got cheated out of most of my money, though.”

“As always!” Bin laughs. He’s in ridiculously good spirits for such a task, but Minhyuk doesn’t question why. He recognizes the same change of emotions in Jinwoo after the man speaks to Myungjun; likewise, Bin always seems rejuvenated after a CTL transmission with Dongmin.

Minhyuk wondered if both of the men had fallen in love with their respective best friends. He thought it was pretty gross - he would  _ never _ fall in love with Sanha.

They all met up again near their ship, still in the marketplace. Minhyuk noticed a few crew members lagging up the main entryway of their ship, but he assumes everyone else would be on board.

Before they can leave, though, Jinwoo is suddenly stopped by a big, burly man. Others like him stand around, regarding the four Kyklos members with distaste. 

Minhyuk glances at his own uniform. Of course, a royal blue was going to stand out in a crowd, and  _ of course _ those who were against the Kyklos Syndicate would be quite willing to start a fuss.

“So,” one of the man says, “you work for the Kyklos Syndicate, and you’re stupid enough to show your face here?”

Minhyuk hears Sanha sigh beside him. In all other circumstances, they ought to leave. There was no reason to get in a fight with men who, technically, held the same goal they did. But their tone of voice and their angry demeanor made it rather clear that they probably weren’t going to leave without starting a small fight. Especially because Jinwoo was quick to bite back at the men.

“Go to hell,” Jinwoo said. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

The man looked shocked, and he moved quickly. He shoved Jinwoo, sending the captain stumbling backwards into Sanha, who tried to hold him steady. “What the fuck did you say to me?” the man snapped.

Bin was trying to quell the situation. He tugged on Jinwoo’s sleeve, reminding him that they probably ought not to fight in this marketplace on a small station, but Jinwoo was not at all deterred. He smirked, and before Minhyuk could even curse his name internally, Jinwoo repeated himself. “I said, go to hell.”

All turned into chaos at that moment. The men rushed forward, trying to deliver punches and inflict damage. Minhyuk was certain his friends would be safe, though he felt a slight bout of worry hit him for Sanha. The poor kid was a mess half the time, and he might not be smart enough to duck properly. Minhyuk’s concern only lasted a second, however, for he had to slid to the ground suddenly in order to avoid being hit. He scrambled to his feet as the man before him gathered his bearings, and then he ran, hurrying onto the ship where the other crew members, sensing the urgency, also were.

He heard Jinwoo behind him, barking out orders to Sanha to get them off the station. Minhyuk knew, more than anyone, that they should hurry; anti-Syndicate groups didn’t take kindly to their presence, and it was likely to turn even worse for them the longer they stayed. Still, as Minhyuk took his seat and buckled up, he couldn’t help but think that quickly leaving the station was a bad plan. They had yet to fill up on fuel, and they wouldn’t have nearly enough to get to their next stop.

Sanha seemed to be trying to explain such to Jinwoo, but the situation  _ was _ dire. In the end, they were forced to lift off with no more hesitation. The landing dock of the ship scraped against the side of the station as they depart. The entire crew waits with baited breath, holding tightly onto their stations, as the initial period of flying out of the atmosphere begins a little rocky. However, the flight evens out, thanks to Sanha’s skill, and everyone is soon able to relax, unbuckle, and continue about their duties.

Minhyuk nearly splays himself out over his controls, until he catches Bin’s eye. The older boy gestures down the hallway and gives Minhyuk a nod, some sort of sign to meet him elsewhere.

He waits a few minutes, as to ensure nothing is suspicious, before he stands and makes his way to the upper deck of the ship where the sleeping quarters are all located. His own sleeping quarters, the one he shares with Sanha and Bin, are empty, so the only other option is to check Jinwoo’s.

Sure enough, Sanha, Jinwoo, and Bin are already waiting for him, the supplies they bought dumped out onto Jinwoo’s bed.

“So,” Minhyuk starts, prepared to tell his captain that they are still in need of fuel, but Bin interrupts him.

“Why the hell did we almost get beaten up by the people we’re trying to protect?” he snaps at Jinwoo.

He poses a good question, but Minhyuk knows as well as anyone that they must play the part of loyal, good Kyklos Syndicate members. It’s necessary to anger the other side, the side they’re technically on, in order to continue to operate in secret.

“Look,” Jinwoo says with a sigh. “I know it isn’t ideal-”

Bin scoffs, but whatever words he has to say next are forgotten as he picks up his jar of honey and examines it. “You bought honey?” Sanha asks, looking up from the few goods he has purchased.

“I didn’t buy it,” Bin defended himself. “It’s from one of the targets.” He narrows his eyes, peering into the sticky substance. “I don’t even see anything in here, though.”

“So you  _ did _ just buy honey,” Minhyuk joked, and he smirked when he saw Bin shoot him the middle finger.

Jinwoo gestured at the jar. “The lid,” he suggested. “Check the lid.”

Sanha seemed impressed with Jinwoo’s quick thinking, praising him as Bin pried open the jar and checked for the contents inside. He managed to gently pull out a sheet of paper and unfold it, wiping honey off on his finger in order to better see what was written down. “It’s...it’s coordinates. It looks like it’s for Atlas.”

A large smile fills Jinwoo’s face as he snatches the paper away from Bin. “We’re close by!” he exclaimed. “I’ll get Myungjun to figure this out quickly. Good job, Bin!”

Perhaps later, Minhyuk would remind all of them that they didn’t have enough fuel to get to Atlas. For the moment, though, he decided they could celebrate this small victory, a little leap to something that would reveal far more information. 

He would give them at least ten minutes before he would deliver the bad news.


	2. Gilese System

Minhyuk peered over Sanha’s shoulder and gave a loud sigh before allowing himself to lean back. He had known they were running low on fuel; he didn’t realize it might make their situation a little more difficult than he thought it would.

“We won’t make it to Atlas,” he mumbled, mostly to himself, as he ran his fingers through his hair. “No matter what we do, there’s no way we can make it to Atlas with only our reserve tank holding a full amount of fuel.”

Sanha hummed, seemingly unperturbed by such a disturbance in their travels. “A stop might not be so bad. I don’t think we’ve hard a proper break in a long while.”

Minhyuk simply pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. So as to not rouse suspicion, they needed to set back on their original coordinates and finish the task given to them by the Kyklos Syndicate. Another pit stop would mean more travel logs to delete and more crew members to quiet down. “It won’t be a break for us,” he pointed out, reminding Sanha of all the work that went into erasing their tracks. 

The boy thought on Minhyuk’s words for a second or two before rolling his eyes and slumping over in his seat. “Even when we get a break, I don’t  _ get _ a break,” he complained.

Minhyuk patted the pilot’s shoulders, but he didn’t care much for Sanha’s whining at the moment. He needed to tell Jinwoo, to figure out some other sort of plan for them. “Here, pull up everything you showed me,” he ordered. “I’ll bring Jinwoo down so we can go over the data and think of our next idea.”

He left the younger boy to grumble as he pulled up all the charts and readings of their fuel tanks, and he hurried to the upper deck of the ship. Last he was aware, Jinwoo and Bin were in Jinwoo’s sleeping quarters, one of the few places they would definitely have privacy. He knew they were basking in excitement from the good leads they had gotten - he could tell the moment he walked into the room that Jinwoo still was ecstatic - but the lack of fuel was far more important.

“Jinwoo,” he greeted, and the captain glanced up at him. “We have an issue.”

“An issue?” Jinwoo asked, captain persona now out in full force.

Minhyuk nodded his head. “Yeah. It’s the, um, the fuel. You should come down; Sanha’s pulling things up to show you.”

Jinwoo sighed and ordered Bin to hide all the goods they brought back from the Dione Station. Knowing that Bin would hide everything very well, Minhyuk didn’t spare him a second glance. He just led Jinwoo down the ladder and back onto the bridge, where Sanha was waiting for them.

“Alright,” Minhyuk said, and he tapped the back of Sanha’s chair. “Up. Let me show him.”

“I can show him just fine!” Sanha argued, but Minhyuk quickly began to push at the younger boy, shoving him right out of his seat. Sanha whined, but didn’t do much in order to fight back. “You’re such a jerk, Minhyuk.”

Minhyuk accepted the insult, and he tapped on the monitor, showcasing, first, the fuel tank levels. “So tanks one and two are completely empty,” he said. “Tank three has a little bit left.”

“What about the reserves?” Jinwoo pointed over at the mostly-full tank. “We can use that to get us to where we need to be.”

“The reserve fuel tank has had a broken meter for a while,” Minhyuk replied, scathingly. “I would’ve liked to fix it when we had some down time, but, you know, we got into a bit of a scuffle-”

Jinwoo sighed, reminding Minhyuk that it probably wasn’t the best idea to display sarcasm to his captain. While he and Jinwoo were friends, they also had to follow the chain of command, and any sort of disagreements might cause rift. Minhyuk swallowed the rest of his words, then pulled up the distance from their current location to Atlas. “Anyway, we won’t make it. Atlas is too far away. We’re screwed, basically.”

Sanha interjects then, patting Jinwoo’s defeated form. “It isn’t that bad! I told Minhyuk, but I used to run on low tanks all the time. I could pilot a ship for ages on just fumes, and we’d still land safely!”

“Even your skill wouldn’t be enough to get us to Atlas,” Minhyuk pointed out. “The Ambition is older and slower than the ships you’re used to, Sanha. We’re looking at five or six days of travel. Maybe seven. And you can’t tell me that  _ this _ amount of fuel will get us anywhere.”

“If we use EHT, we’d be there in a day and a half,” Jinwoo mumbled. “Why can’t we do that?”

Minhyuk glanced at Sanha. Expanded Horizon Transportation was a great idea, but he knew there would be an issue with that - if there wasn’t, Sanha would have suggested it by that point. Sure enough, the boy grinned nervously. “We only have enough fuel for twelve hours of EHT. Getting to Atlas would require more time. But I’ve been looking forward to a stop, a longer stop than what we normally have. And if we report what happened at Dione Station-”

“We can’t report it.” A new voice had them all startled, and Minhyuk spun around in his chair to see who was listening in. Fortunately, it was only Bin, who allowed the bridge door to close behind him before he continued, “We’re going to wipe the travel data, so Kyklos won’t even have the report that we’ve been there.”

“Not so loud,” Jinwoo hissed, though no one was on the bridge, save for themselves.

Bin scoffed at him. “Don’t worry,” he assured, “Everyone else is doing other things. Inventory, replenishing supplies - they won’t be coming up here anytime soon. But, seriously, we really can’t report having stopped at Dione Station, because of the damages and we weren’t even supposed to be there. Kyklos will have us grounded and investigated for docking there.”

“Okay.” Jinwoo placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes, looking down at the screen that showed the distance to Atlas. “Do we have enough left in our current fuel to make a jump anywhere else?”

Sanha sits down on the table; Minhyuk tries swatting him aside, but Sanha refuses to move. He glances over at Minhyuk, who shrugs his shoulder, before telling Jinwoo, “With what we have in our main tanks, no. But we might have enough in our reserve tank to travel to the moons of Zeus.”

The talk of being so close to his former home made Minhyuk tense up. He didn’t want to go back; not now, and possibly not ever. Too many bad memories lingered there, too many reminders of the person he had been and the person he had become. He would rather ignore his past and continue on with his life, freed from any previous guilt of his wrongdoings. “There’s the possibility that we won’t have enough fuel to make the jump,” Minhyuk added, “and then we’d be kicked out of EHT, and that’s never fun.”

“You’re such a downer!” Sanha complained. “That probably won’t happen!”

Jinwoo didn’t appear to care either way. He was focused on his thoughts, gnawing at his lip in concern as he stared upon the screen. Finally, he ordered, “We’ll try it. Get Soeun to plot our course. Closest moon possible. Sanha, prep the EHT drives. I...I should probably contact Myungjun. He needs to know about what we found and our little dilemma.”

He decided that if they were going to stop at one of the moons anyway, it was best that it was a moon near Zeus, and not a moon a little further out. But he knew he shouldn’t be too concerned; they were far more likely to stop at a recognized moon, anyway, as the majority of their crew members were unaware that Kyklos had presence on the unrecognized moons, such as Minhyuk’s childhood home.

“Should I get Suyeon?” Minhyuk asked. Most all CTL connections needed the assistance of their communications officer to run properly. However, Jinwoo’s conversations with Myungjun were private and were wiped from the system right after they ended the transmission. He was pretty sure that Suyeon had never assisted for those connections.

Sure enough, Jinwoo shook his head. “She doesn’t need to be present every single time. It’s best if she isn’t. And I’ll need her to be distracted for this…” 

He looked over at Bin, who sighed and nodded his head. “I can probably distract her for twenty minutes,” he promised. “Make it quick.”

As the two men left the room, Minhyuk turned back and viewed his monitor once more before shutting it down. “Well,” he muttered to Sanha, who’s attention snapped over to him, “it looks like you might get the break you desired.”

Sanha’s grin was contagious, but Minhyuk was in fantastic control of his emotions.

 

********************

 

Myungjun flopped himself onto his bed and stared up at his ceiling, an open glass that showed a view of the worlds beyond Mars.

It was difficult to see the stars sometimes, due to the light pollution caused by living in such a large city, but there were a handful still hanging around. Some of them were little planets, such as a pretty, bright Earth and a small, red dot that was Venus. With his telescope, Myungjun could see even further away, and at the observatory, he always felt overwhelmed by the amount of planets that lay out in the vast universe.

He thought of all the people out there still in space. His parents were in the Gilese System, left behind on one of Zeus’ moons. He wondered how they were. He wondered if they missed him, or if they understood why he had to leave. Minhyuk, too, was out there, floating about in the ocean of space. He had grown up with Minhyuk, sharing together an awful experience on that damn moon, and they made promises to work together at Kyklos Syndicate.

They would work together to bring Kyklos Syndicate down.

And that led his thoughts to Jinwoo.

He had met Jinwoo at the Kyklos Syndicate headquarters. The man was already a captain, simply waiting to receive his crew members and his ship. He had an air of authority that surrounded him, though as a captain who had yet to embark on any sort of mission, he also still seemed to be a bumbling, awkward fool. He tripped over his own two feet, he stammered when asking where the mess hall was, and his face had grown increasingly red when he had seen Myungjun’s nametag.

_ Intelligence _ , the nametag read, with the various levels of security clearance that Myungjun was granted. And then, underneath,  _ Kim Myungjun _ . He was rather high up in the company, someone with great authority, and it usually caused the newcomers to become quite nervous. Jinwoo, however, had swallowed back his fears and then had given Myungjun a small bow. “Thank you for pointing me in the correct direction of the cafeteria,” he said, politely. His voice was deep and calming, and his eyes held in them such confidence and sincerity that Myungjun couldn’t help the way his heart beat a little bit faster and the way a smile couldn’t stop growing across his face.

He sought Jinwoo out more after that. While he had always used his security clearance for less-than-legal means, for uncovering the shady business that the Kyklos Syndicate was involved in, he now used it to figure things out about Jinwoo.

He impressed the captain one day, sitting down in front of him in the cafeteria, and blurting out, “Park Jinwoo, age twenty-five, from the Alpha Centuri System, planet Juno.”

Jinwoo blinked, then, still taken aback, he giggled nervously. “Did...did you really just use your security clearance for  _ that _ , Myungjun?”

“I’ve used it for way worse. This is tame.”

They grew closer as Jinwoo completed his training and summoned up a crew. One night, as a dust storm blew across the city, Myungjun had finally admitted what happened in his past, admitted all the crimes he committed against the Kyklos Syndicate in order to bring them down.

Jinwoo had held him as he cried and instead of instantly discounting all that Myungjun had said, he asked for proof.

Myungjun showed him. Myungjun provided him with documents detailing of the slavery that was enacted on people from moons that were not recognized by the government. Myungjun showed off forms of the bribes that government officials had taken from Kyklos in order to keep their wrongdoings quiet. Myungjun, desperate for someone to listen and to believe him, had put everything on the line, hopeful that Jinwoo would accept him still.

It was almost instant, Jinwoo’s faith and trust, and before he left for space, he had embraced Myungjun and promised that he would do everything in his power to bring down the very company he had longed to always work for.

The memory of their meeting just one year prior made Myungjun grin with delight. He held a hand up, stretching his fingers out, and whispered, “Where are you now, Park Jinwoo?”

As if on cue, his watch beeped. Myungjun glanced at it, heart pounding in anticipation, and nearly cheered when he saw the message:  _ Incoming CTL Transmission: Park Jinwoo _ .

He flung himself out of his bedsheets and scrambled out of his bedroom, nearly falling a few times as he hurried down the hallway and to his CTL room. He hadn’t spoken with Jinwoo in quite a few days, and he had missed that dear face. Part of him always wanted to be out in space alongside Jinwoo, to partake in all of the missions and to see new sights and new worlds. However, he knew his main mission was to take down the Kyklos Syndicate; his obvious crush on Jinwoo would have to wait until he was complete with his task.

He was quick to accept the call, and as the transmission started to establish a connection, he plopped down in the specified side of the room, watching the other half of the area and trying to hide his smile behind his hands.

Soon enough, Jinwoo appeared, moving a little from static at first, but he seemed to even out after a few seconds. 

Jinwoo looked just as fantastic as always, if not a little tired. He was grinning, hands clasped behind his back, and he gave the usual greeting of, “Hey, there, Myungjun!”

Myungjun let his hands fall and he barked out a laugh, too excited to hold anything in. “You’re calling super late, Captain. I could’ve been asleep.” Then he paused, and, trying to really stifle a giggle, he asked, “This isn’t a booty call, is it?”

It was funny to see Jinwoo’s composure completely fall apart. “ _ No _ , of course not,” the man declares. “But thank god you’re still awake. I really needed to talk to you.” Jinwoo sat down, now level with Myungjun, and he hummed as he stared upon Myungjun’s form. “I only have about fifteen minutes. Bin is distracting our communications officer, but he can only hold off for so long.”

“Pity,” Myungjun complained. He sometimes wished that none of them were involved in all this illegal nonsense to overthrow a huge corporation. Talking, then, would be so much more simple. They could flirt as much as they wanted with no fear of someone walking in on secret conversations. They wouldn’t have to delete transmissions, either, or correspondence notes. Myungjun would have liked to keep some of their records, to go back and listen to or read when he was feeling extra lonely. But, he reminded himself, their main goal was to expose Kyklos; after that, possibly, they could get the chance to spend their lives together. “Are you guys out of the Dione Station?”

Jinwoo nodded his head. “Fortunately,” he said. “We, uh, had a little bit of an issue with some of the anti-Syndicate group. Had to play the part as a good Syndicate worker, and so we didn’t get fuel in our ship before lift-off. As such, now we’re plotting a course for one of Zeus’ moons, to refuel and continue on with our journey, and then we’ll head to Atlas.”

“Atlas?” He thought of his home, an unrecognized moon in between Atlas and Zeus, and he asked, “So, um, so...you have to stop at a moon for fuel?”

“Not Helen,” Jinwoo admitted, as if guessing what Myungjun was getting at. “I’m sorry, Junnie. I wish I could go there and find your parents, but...the crew is with me, and they’re all loyal to Kyklos. I can’t endanger them-”

“No, no, I understand.” Myungjun offered him a smile, though he felt his stomach churn with the thought of his parents having to wait even longer for a rescue. “So, uh, are you going to Hera, instead?”

Jinwoo said, “Hopefully. That  _ is _ the closest moon to where we currently are.” He didn’t dwell on the subject, however, and Myungjun knew why. They only had a small bit of time to detail out their information for each other, to plot coordinates and figure out missions. Jinwoo likely wanted to finish their conversation before the communications officer came back. “Afterwards, we’re set to go to Atlas. Most of the goods we picked up from anti-Syndicate members pointed toward Atlas as the next point of intel. So, that’s where you come in.” Jinwoo gestured toward Myungjun; his fingers glitched out as they went over the black line that provided his transmission capacity. “What’s important on Atlas?”

Myunjung cursed lightly and ran his fingers through his hair. “If you had gotten me in the daytime, I would have my files on me,” he grumbled.

“Sorry about that. But your pajamas look cute.”

Myungjun blushed, then glanced down at the matching set of pajamas that he wore. “Yeah,” he said, “they have mice on them. I thought of you when I bought them.”

“I’m not sure if that’s sweet or insulting.”

“I’ll leave you wondering, then,” Myungjun giggled, but before he could continue his teasing of Jinwoo’s character, he snapped his fingers and gasped. “Atlas! Oh! I remember!” Jinwoo leaned in closer, interested, and Myungjun said, “A Kyklos Syndicate worker is in hiding over there. He worked in intelligence, alongside me, and he’s very loyal and dedicated to the Kyklos cause.”

Jinwoo blinked and cocked his head. “If he worked alongside you, then surely he must also know of all the shit Kyklos does.”

“Well, people know and people don’t care. As long as they’re in a comfortable position of power and importance, why should they do anything to stop it?” Myungjun scoffed, but he knew he shouldn’t get into morals and ethics at the moment, not when they had so little time together. So he continued, “Anyway, he went out one evening and got super drunk at a bar nearby. Apparently, someone from the media just kept sending him drinks. He started to spill a bunch of stuff to her, giving away important information from some of our documents. The next morning, he came into work and was instantly contacted to provide the media with those documents.They started to run headlines in their paper about our illegal doings, but without any evidence to back it up, most people just considered it a tabloid article.

“So then, this guy was in a bit of a mess, and he panicked. He destroyed the documents with all of the incriminating information. I can’t access them anymore; they’re no longer on our database, no matter what backdoors I take. He then told the media that the documents don’t exist, which just put him under  _ more _ suspicion, because Kyklos should have information and documents for every single day and every single transaction, but he just wiped the universe clean of anything they requested. Naturally, this posed an issue for Kyklos, so they sent him off to Atlas. He’s in hiding right now, and Kyklos actually developed this elaborate scheme and staged his death. They’ve accused some reporter of having murdered him, and now, of course, the media is only focusing on this fake murder case, while this man is off living a cozy life.”

He ended his spiel and then checked the time. They still had a few minutes left, fortunately.

“We have to find this man, then?” Jinwoo asked.

Myungjun glanced up into Jinwoo’s inquisitive eyes and he nodded. “His name is Cho Minsoo. I suspect he’s taken the information with him - or, at least, he still has the knowledge of all that happened. Unfortunately, I was never privy to those documents, which must mean they contain something really,  _ really _ incriminating. If we have this information, it would be a huge chunk of evidence to use whenever we finally go public against the Syndicate.”

Jinwoo sighed, seeming to take all of the information in. He was writing something down, too, pen scribbling along paper (“paper leaves less of a trail, in case we get caught,” he had told Myungjun one day when asked, and Myungjun admired such intelligence). “This...this is brilliant,” he breathed. “Oh, now I really can’t wait until we reach Atlas! I wish we had enough fuel to go now! I wish-” He smiled at Myungjun. “I wish you could be here to celebrate all of our achievements with us.”

“I do, too,” Myungjun admitted. “But I’m celebrating them here, too! And when you find Minsoo, you’d best contact me via CTL again. We’ll pop open some champagne and have our own little party!”

The captain sitting before him laughed, eyes turned up into crescents, just like the moon. Myungjun watched him, mesmerized by such beauty, and he nearly missed the next words Jinwoo spoke. “Myungjun, really, you’re...you’re too good for this universe.”

“Ah, well!” Myungjun blushed and ducked his head with a giggle. “It’s...it’s why you love m-” He stopped himself, however, before delivering such a humiliating statement. It wasn’t love, what they shared between them, and as they were lightyears away from each other, he didn’t want to pressure Jinwoo into confessing just at the moment. So, while the captain stared at him with wide eyes, Myungjun stammered out, “It’s why y-you love hanging out with me. Right?”

Jinwoo seemed to be biting the inside of his cheek. Myungjun wished he knew what Jinwoo was thinking. “Oh. Yeah. Definitely!” He suddenly swiveled his head to the side, staring off at what appeared to be an entrance door that had opened, and then he cursed lightly. “Dammit, Myungjun, I really need to go. Minhyuk said our communications manager is heading this way, and I need to delete the transmission before-”

“No, I get it. Don’t spend time explaining it. Just remember, Cho Minsoo, okay?”

“Got it! I...I love hanging out with you, Myungjun.” Jinwoo offered him one last shy smile before he transmission ended, leaving Myungjun sitting alone in a darkening room.

“It wouldn’t really be a lie,” Myungjun muttered to himself as he stared at the spot Jinwoo once sat, “to say that I love you.”

 

********************

 

Minhyuk felt as if he had walked into the CTL room at the worst time possible. He reminded himself that it was necessary to eavesdrop sometimes in order to hide their illegal deeds from the rest of the crew - or, rather, it was necessary to stop Jinwoo from taking up too much time.

Eavesdropping was just too tempting.

Especially when it involved the L-word.

Minhyuk had always been suspicious of Myungjun and Jinwoo. While Jinwoo claimed there was nothing going on between the two of them, he had always been overly excited to make CTL connections, and Minhyuk was certain that it wasn’t just because Myungjun would have good news for him. Sometimes, too, Jinwoo would go to talk to Myungjun regardless of any news at all, and he would always seem far more cheerful afterwards.

This was incriminating evidence that pointed to some sort of relationship. Myungjun had caught himself before he had dare imply that Jinwoo loved him. It was awkward to watch, a little cringey to hear, and while Jinwoo floundered and blushed, Minhyuk finally decided to make his presence known.

“Captain,” he announced, and Jinwoo jumped slightly before looking in his direction. “Suyeon’s coming. Might want to wrap it up.”

Jinwoo cursed, but ended the transmission quickly. Minhyuk hung around as they deleted all evidence of contact, trying to think of something to say to quell his captain’s exceedingly red cheeks.

“You know,” he said, “if you and Myungjun got together, I don’t think it’d be all that bad.”

It wasn’t the right thing to say at all, but it did make Jinwoo speed up a little as he tapped at the monitor. 

Minhyuk continued, “You get frustrated easily, anyway. When we go back to Mars, I think Myungjun could...calm you down. If you catch my drift.”

“I’m invoking my first-in-command powers and demanding that you shut up, Minhyuk.”

At least he finished deleting the transmission record in a speedy fashion, and they were out of the CTL room before anyone could catch on.

And, at least, he really  _ did _ seem to like Myungjun. The two of them deserved happiness, and if they found it in each other, then Minhyuk would cheer them on.

(And he would hope that Myungjun  _ could _ soothe Jinwoo’s obvious frustrations in ways that none of them could.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to read chapter two of snibnoom's fic!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	3. Mars

The room was filled with excessive talking, with light, classical music and the clinking sound of champagne glasses being brought together in toasts. It was slightly overwhelming, especially for Dongmin, who longed to just leave and collapse onto his bed. He was exhausted, even more so when he realized how many people he had greeted just that day, and sleep was a much more thrilling idea.

His father liked to hold these parties from time to time. He told Dongmin it was for networking purposes, but Dongmin was certain it was also to show off his wealth and status. After all, many of the people that attended the parties were people that Dongmin saw every single day. There were hardly any new faces in the crowd.

The one time there was, Dongmin had fallen in love.

It had been Moon Bin, a young second-in-command on a simple Kyklos cargo ship. He wasn’t the sort of guest that normally arrived at these types of parties, and so Dongmin found himself intrigued. He watched Bin for much of the night. The boy was charismatic to the other guests and continuously grabbed cocktails for the ones he spoke with. Dongmin was certain that half of the drunk guests were due, in part, to Bin’s generosity with the drinks, but he chose to say nothing. They would probably get drunk one way or another, after all, and Dongmin wasn’t even sure how he was supposed to confront a man as lovely as Bin.

Bin had a wide smile that turned his eyes into crescent moons. He laughed easily, joked easily, and made friends quickly. He was intriguing and Dongmin could hardly focus on the rest of the party by that point; he was much too drawn into Bin’s aura to do any sort of networking with his father’s colleagues.

Bin noticed him, at one point or another, and he raised his eyebrows at Dongmin’s staring. Dongmin, embarrassed to have been caught, looked away quickly and pretended as if something else had caught his attention, but Bin wasn’t fooled.

“Hey,” Bin had said, walking straight up to Dongmin. “Are you Mr. Lee’s son?”

Dongmin glanced over at him and offered a nervous smile. He was certain his face was red; his cheeks felt as if they were on fire with humiliation and embarrassment. “I...I am,” he responded. “Who might you be?”

Bin smiled. “Moon Bin,” he said, and he gave a slight bow. “Second-in-command on the KCS Ambition. It’s a pleasure, Dongmin.”

It must have been fate that brought them together. Bin didn’t leave his side for the rest of the night. He allowed Dongmin to introduce him to the guests he had yet to meet, and when things seemed to be winding down, he took Dongmin on a walk behind the house. They had stared up at the Martian sky together, pointing out the few planets they could see beyond the light pollution of the city: Phobos, Deimos, Earth, Venus. Dongmin mentioned how it would be cool to one day see more planets, and Bin mentioned how cool it  _ was _ to see other planets.

But Bin was gone now, off exploring those planets that Dongmin had looked out at fondly. He sighed, forlorn when he remembered that Bin said it would be another six months before they would have the chance to see each other again.

He wished, sometimes, he had never kissed Bin before he left. If they had kept their feelings to themselves, perhaps things would now be easier. Perhaps Dongmin could move on with life, not taking too much time to remember the feeling of Bin’s hand within his own, the warmth of Bin’s embrace, the sincerity in that kiss.

Once more, he sighed, and he caught the attention of the man standing beside him. “If the party is so boring, perhaps you should leave,” the man muttered to him, sipping at a drink he held.

Dongmin looked over. He recognized the man, but he couldn’t quite remember a name. “It’s my house,” he commented.

The man pursed his lips and looked him over, up and down. “Ah,” he said. “So you must be Mr. Lee’s son. Dongmin, correct?”

Dongmin nodded his head, though he made no further effort to connect with the man. 

“I’m Myungjun. I work in intelligence; Mr. Lee and I only interact briefly throughout the week. He’s talked about you before, however. Is it true you’ll be joining the company soon?”

Of course his father would mention that. He had been trying to convince Dongmin to join Kyklos for the longest time now, and he would regularly put pressure on Dongmin’s decisions by telling his coworkers that Dongmin  _ would _ join the company.

He felt a burst of frustration in him, and he shook his head.

“Oh.” Myungjun didn’t appear bothered either way. “Well, from the way he talks about you and everyone seems to know you, I think it’s safe to say that you’re some sort of honorary employee.” He smiled, and Dongmin noted that Myungjun had a sweet smile. He was nice, too, and didn’t seem as pretentious as many other people that attended these parties. “Point me in the direction of the bathroom, though? I’ve consumed too many of these delicious cocktails.”

Dongmin relaxed, grinning at Myungjun’s abrupt attitude. He liked Myungjun. “If you leave the parlor by those large doors over there, you’ll turn to your right. Guest bathroom is the first room to your left, but I think it might be crowded, so if you keep going past the other set of doors, you’ll come to my bedroom, and the bathroom is right in there. You can’t miss it.”

Myungjun raised his eyebrows. “Ooh,” he teased, “you’re allowing me to go piss in  _ your _ toilet? Fancy.”

He was certainly brash, but Dongmin found it refreshing. “Just to help you out! You don’t have to, of course.”

“Oh, please, I’d love the privacy.” Myungjun thanked him, bowing slightly, before hurrying off out the doors Dongmin had pointed to him.

As if on cue, before Dongmin could take a moment to himself, he heard his father’s voice calling him closer. “Dongmin! Dongmin, come over here, there’s someone I’d like for you to meet!”

A few guests looked over, spurred by the slight commotion, and Dongmin blushed as his gaze fell across his father, who waved at him and smiled. He didn’t particularly like being called out in the middle of such a large crowd, especially since people knew exactly who he was.

So he rushed over, apologizing to the few people he bumped into along the way, and stopped in front of his father. “What?” he asked; perhaps it came out a little grumpy, but he thought it should be understandable.

His father didn’t seem to catch onto his embarrassment. He simply gestured to the man who stood beside him and said, “This is Lee Seunghwan. I thought you might like to meet him.” 

Seunghwan gave a bow and smiled, and Dongmin was taken back by just how pretty the man was. His eyes were a sparkling brown, almond-shaped and full of warmth, and his lips curved upwards in a small smile, plump and pink and beautiful. He was tall, though not as tall as Dongmin, and his voice was light and airy as he spoke. “Pleasure to meet you, Dongmin. Your father has been bragging about you.”

“Has he?” Dongmin cleared his throat nervously and spared his father a glance. “I should hope it’s only good things.”

“Oh, most definitely,” Seunghwan responded. He chuckled and put his hands behind his back, looking over at Dongmin with slight interest in his gaze. “He mentioned that you were top in your class in academy, and that you might soon join Kyklos and easily move your way up in ranks.”

Dongmin struggled to keep himself composed over the watchful eye of his father and the enthusiasm of this new, young employee. “Well...we’ll see,” he muttered, losing his smile.

They fell into an awkward silence. Dongmin shuffled his feet, still hoping he could head back to bed in a little bit, and Seunghwan decided to stand his ground, though his gaze traveled to the furnishings of the large parlor area.

Finally, Dongmin’s father patted his back and laughed. “Well, I suppose I should leave the two of you to...to talk. Seunghwan, you ought to tell him what you do at the company - I know there’s a job opening alongside your position. Talk to him about what he needs to know.”

They were left alone then, and Seunghwan laughed nervously. “So, um...my job isn’t that exciting, and your father never made it clear what your exact ambitions are within Kyklos. I simply work as the Internal Communications Specialist - is communication your thing? I wasn’t-”

“I’ll be honest,” Dongmin blurted out, interrupting Seunghwan, “I don’t have any ambitions with Kyklos just yet. My father keeps telling people that I want to work there, but...I’m still deciding what to do with my life.” He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I would prefer something else, though. Perhaps teaching.”

Seunghwan blinked, then nodded his head. “Oh. From...from the way your father spoke, you seemed certain.”

“He puts words in my mouth.” Dongmin bit down on his lip, chewing slightly, then apologized, “I’m sorry for letting you get roped up in all of this. My father...he has high expectations for me. I think he wants me to work my way up in the company. He’s mentioned I could become the Intelligence Director, but that’s not really my passion. And while I appreciate Kyklos and think it’s a great organization, I think I just want to try working somewhere without my father’s presence.”

“Understandable,” Seunghwan agreed. He smiled again, unperturbed by Dongmin’s defiance. “My father and mother both work small jobs, and so this was far different from what they had in mind for me. I enjoy it, however, and that’s what’s important - enjoying the work that you do. If you won’t enjoy it at Kyklos, it isn’t worth putting your foot in the door.”

There weren’t too many people who understood Dongmin’s reluctance to apply for a position in Kyklos, but Seunghwan seemed to comprehend it perfectly. Seunghwan was one of the first, too; other than Bin, who was currently off in space for the next six months.

Dongmin regarded Seunghwan curiously, admiring his looks, admiring his kindness. It was different to find someone so polite, so composed, and so dashing. Seunghwan was as charismatic as Bin, it appeared, and had the charm to boot. 

What of Bin, though? How was  _ Bin _ doing? Bin had been the man Dongmin fell for, fell head-over-heels in love with, and yet he was lightyears away. He wouldn’t arrive home any time soon. 

In the midst of his thinking, Seunghwan took action. He stepped forward and held out his arm for Dongmin to grab onto, a smile still plastered onto his face. “Why don’t we go outside for a little bit?” he suggested.

Dongmin wanted to. Something in him was pulling him towards Seunghwan. He wondered if Seunghwan could become Bin’s replacement, someone he could admire and flirt with and desire until Bin actually came back.

It would be unfair, however, to all parties involved if he were to accept Seunghwan’s evening proposal. Bin would be left behind, Dongmin would be lying to himself, and Seunghwan would be strung along.

He shook his head slowly, noting how Seunghwan’s smile seemed to falter. “I...I’m not feeling too well,” he fibbed, stepping away from Seunghwan. “I’d been meaning to go lay down - I’m not very fond of parties like this.”

“Oh.” Seunghwan let his hand drop. He didn’t try to stop Dongmin in the slightest. “Then...then I guess we’ll just be seeing each other around?”

Dongmin wanted to see more of Seunghwan than just  _ around _ . He wanted to soak in his presence.

He just couldn’t do that to Bin.

“Yes,” he agreed, nodding his head. “And...and thank you, Seunghwan, for being so understanding, and...and for talking to me. I’d like to continue our friendship, if possible.”

Seunghwan’s smile returned. At least Dongmin knew he was saying the right words to mend things. “I would very much like that, as well,” the older man concurred, and he bowed once before allowing Dongmin to depart.

Once Dongmin was down the hall and out of sight, Seunghwan’s face disappeared from his mind, and he only thought of one person, the one and only person he longed to see: Bin.

 

********************

 

Myungjun absolutely despised the parties thrown by Syndicate members. They were too fancy, too snooty, and all Myungjun could think was his home, poor and forced into mandatory labor.

He had grown up on Helen, the moon of the planet Demeter. The norm as a child was subpar living and working conditions. Even as a young child, Myungjun was forced to help out in factories. He assumed it was something all people had to do, and as dreadful as it was, he did his best. He was usually dirty, usually hungry, but still very much loved and cared for by his family.

His parents had to work harder than he did. They were forced to meet certain quotas; if they were unable to do things properly and on time, they were docked the small amount of pay they received. Myungjun could remember quite a few nights when his parents would come home with absolutely nothing. They would still try to give Myungjun as much food as possible, to keep his strength up, but he felt guilty as he ate his food, knowing his parents would not eat that night.

Things finally started to come to light as Myungjun entered into his teenage years. Still young, still working hard and dirty and hungry, he watched one day as a ship arrived. Syndicate employees wished to inspect the operations.

They were well-dressed and talked to each other with light voices and high spirits. Their hands were free of rough calluses that working in factories and mines brought about. They ate lavishly, too; at least three of them pulled out snacks in the middle of their inspections, claiming they hadn’t eaten since  _ that morning _ .

Myungjun, having not eaten for a full day, envied them.

He asked around about their positions and learned that the Syndicate operated on Mars. They were able to enslave unrecognized moons, because the government was unable to get involved. Helen, with its indoor-living conditions, rough atmosphere, and dangers that lurked outside of the living pods, was a prime suspect for the Syndicate to make their operations on. No one ever came to look over at Helen as a proper moon or planet, and so the Syndicate got away with their deeds.

The only way to escape, Myungjun slowly began to learn, was to become a Syndicate employee himself.

The task was a difficult one. He would speak in hushed whispers to the other Syndicate employees on the moon, the ones who oversaw production in the factories. They were wary of him, distrustful, claiming his loyalty was to his planets and his people.

“What can I do,” Myungjun started, “to make you believe me?”

As it turned out, he had to betray the people he sought to become part of. There was a growing rebellion on Helen, with people fighting back against the Syndicate’s steadfast rule. A handful of Myungjun’s own neighbors were involved, and he gave up their names willingly. He watched them get sent to jail, just to better his own standing as a Syndicate employee.

He told his parents it was for the best. He explained to them that if he showed the Syndicate employees how loyal he could be to their cause, he would likely rise up in ranks. He could uncover information that would start to bring them down. While no one might care about people on an unrecognized moon working in Syndicate factories and mines, they would definitely refuse to turn a blind eye to the housing projects and the illegal deals and the shafting of peoples’ rights on normal, recognized planets.

His plan worked, but he missed his family dreadfully. He hoped they were okay. He hoped they had kept low and waited for him.

The parties were a crucial part of his plan. With the parties, he was able to speak to people in a more open, honest setting than he could at work. Certain people, he had learned, got drunk easier than others. Certain people spilled valuable information to him with some gentle prodding, and they likely never remembered it come the morning. Not only that, but he had access to rooms that the hosts didn’t ever think of closing off.

And perhaps Dongmin’s room wasn’t the best of rooms to snoop in - why would an employee’s son have any information? - but Myungjun refused to leave any stone unturned. Dongmin might know more than he let on, and Myungjun was determined to figure it out.

After using the restroom, he peeked his head back out into the hallway, scanning around for any other guests that might have wondered off. No one was nearby, and so Myungjun breathed a sigh of relief before closing the door and getting to work.

Dongmin’s room was neat and clean, and Myungjun was determined to keep it that way. He only lifted books if he deemed it absolutely necessary, and he placed things back where they belonged right after searching.

Dongmin  _ seemed _ rather normal. He didn’t seem like someone who would be involved in the Syndicate’s shady business. But, still, Myungjun searched, rifling through anything visible that he possibly could in order to find any clues as to what else the Syndicate was getting themselves into. Sometimes, family members held the most valuable pieces of information; parents would come home after long days of work, and they would rant and talk and babble incessantly. They spilled the beans without even meaning to. 

It made Myungjun’s job easier, anyway.

He had just picked up a stack of pictures on Dongmin’s desk when he heard the door behind him open. Quickly, he spun around and hid the pictures behind his desk, cursing himself for not being more aware of his surroundings. 

Gukheon walked in, blinking in surprise when he saw Myungjun. As another employee in the Intelligence branch, he was someone who was very familiar with Myungjun. They shared close quarters and talked often during their breaks. He wasn’t someone Myungjun expected to see here.

“Myungjun?” the man questioned, glancing around the room. “This is...the room of Mr. Lee’s son. What are you doing here?”

Myungjun tried not to seem suspicious, but it was quite difficult with the pictures still held behind his back. “Took a piss,” he responded shamelessly. “I was just on my way out.”

Gukheon didn’t seem convinced. “You’re...holding something, aren’t you?”

Myungjun took a deep breath, releasing it with downcast eyes. “I...I, um-”

“Why are you snooping around Mr. Lee’s son’s room, Myungjun?”

“I honestly  _ did _ come here to pee.” Myungjun set the pictures down again, his cheeks turning red at having been caught. “Um...the pictures just caught my attention, though.”

Gukheon continued to stare at him, even as Myungjun tried to slink his way out. “I don’t think Mr. Lee will be happy to know that you were looking around here. That’s not very polite to do at someone’s house.”

Myungjun laughed, brushing off the incident. “I really don’t expect anything bad to come from this! Dongmin - that’s the kid’s name - is nice, and we’re on good terms. He offered me his bathroom, and I accepted. What are  _ you _ doing in here, anyway?”

“I was looking for a less crowded bathroom,” Gukheon replied. “I didn’t realize there was one in here.”

He wasn’t buying Myungjun’s words, and Myungjun felt panicked inside. “There is one. You can go look, if you want.”

“I believe you, I’m just...you never seemed like someone who would snoop through someone’s room.”

“Like I said already, Dongmin and I are on good terms. He-” Before Myungjun could finish his sentence, he noticed Dongmin rushing down the hallway. He pulled Gukheon out of the room and caught the boy’s attention. “Dongmin! Hey!”

Dongmin glanced back over at the two employees and offered a nervous smile. “Hi...Myungjun?”

“You know my name, silly!” Myungjun needed to pretend as if he and Dongmin were close, were great friends. He just hoped Dongmin would play along. “You need to tell Gukheon not to get his underwear in a twist, though. He saw me in your room and he’s accusing me of  _ snooping _ . As if I would snoop the room of such a good friend! I was just looking through your pictures, Dongmin - your dad, he went to Europa recently, didn’t he? I recognized the sky in one of the images.”

Dongmin seemed confused. He nodded his head to all of Myungjun’s statements and inquiries; it was less  _ playing along _ , however, and more of simply confusion. But, either way, it worked, and it cleared Myungjun from Gukheon’s suspicions. 

“Myungjun, I, uh, I got to go. You can tell your friend he can use my bathroom, if you’d like, though!” And, with that, Dongmin was gone, rushing down the hall and into an area that looked similar to a CTL room.

Gukheon sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Alright. Guess you and Dongmin  _ are _ friends,” he murmured, fooled by Dongmin’s brilliant (and unknowing) performance. “Now, excuse me. I do have to use the bathroom.”

Myungjun, still wanting to clear the air and free himself from any wrong-doings, patted Gukheon’s back and giggled. “You’re going to piss in his toilet? That makes two of us, Gukheon!”

Gukheon looked offended by Myungjun’s brash language, but at least he didn’t stick around. He rushed off into the bathroom, and Myungjun decided to take the chance and sneak out of the party.

He had gotten a little bit of information, anyway, and he decided it was best to quit while he was still ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to read [chapter three](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/35119871) of snibnoom's fic!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	4. Mars .02

Normally, Dongmin felt rejuvenated after speaking with Bin. They got along so well, and it caused his heart to always expand with affection and adoration and it caused excitement to fill him to the core. He had felt a little off-put by the time frame of Bin’s return, but he pushed it aside, determined only to imagine what a wonderful future together they would have.

Seunghwan’s kindness, however, made him believe that perhaps it would be silly to wait around when nothing was even set in stone. Even  _ when _ Bin came back after six months, he surely wouldn’t stay. He was on a cargo ship, after all, second-in-command, and he enjoyed his job. He liked visiting planets and looking out the ship windows at all the stars they passed by. At least, that was what he told Dongmin.

Their relationship was new and wobbly and hardly even a relationship at all. Dongmin felt panicked, however, when the CTL conversation they had started went south. Bin suddenly closed himself off, snapped his answers to Dongmin, and Dongmin realized  _ he _ had messed it up with a simple statement of, “I want you to move in with me.”

It was bold of him to say, something they weren’t supposed to discuss until Bin returned home to Mars, and yet Dongmin couldn’t keep it inside of him. After seeing Seunghwan, he needed someone close by. He wanted to feel a bond to someone who would stand right beside him, a physical presence as well as an emotional one. Bin, lightyears away in space, was unable to offer that sort of support that Dongmin desperately wanted and needed.

“I...I know it’s sudden of me to ask,” Dongmin says as the transmission of Bin stares at him incredulously. “And I know we really haven’t spent much time together in person. But  _ this _ -” He waves a hand in between them, “this counts as something, doesn’t it?”

Bin doesn’t seem interested at all. “I wouldn’t be back on Mars permanently,”  he reminded. “We’re returning quickly, just enough time to get our next assignments.”

Dongmin took a deep breath and nodded his head. “Yes, but…” He thought of how wonderful it would be with Bin in his house. He wanted to wake up to Bin; he wanted to go to sleep with Bin. Their talks on the CTL were few and far between, but if Bin were to move in with him, then Dongmin would no longer feel the pain of separation. “You could...you could get a sector change,” he suggested. “I’m certain we could make it work, so that instead of staying in cargo, you might be able to work elsewhere. You could stay on Mars with me.”

“That’s…” Bin was hesitating. “That’s not a good idea.”

It probably wasn’t. Bin belonged up in the stars. Space was his true passion; Dongmin, probably, was a second thought.

Dongmin just couldn’t accept that. He thought the feelings they shared were mutual, and he was determined to try and get something out of their relationship other than a few stolen moments from time to time. “Let me come with you, then,” he says.

Bin stared at him, and Dongmin felt his resolve slipping. Still, he held strong. This suggestion had been blurted with no thoughts of its deeper meaning, no consideration as to how difficult of a suggestion it would be for Bin to actually respond to. Yet, despite knowing all this, Dongmin refused to take it back.

“I’ll take all of the exams,” he said, desperate. “I’ll do everything I can - my dad, he might be able to help me out. He wants me to work for Kyklos, anyway. And-and maybe you can speak with your captain - he could help.”

“Could you really be happy here?” Bin asked, narrowing his eyes. “Out here, in the void of space?”

Dongmin struggled to find an answer. 

“It’s not fun, Dongmin. You know that, don’t you?”

Dongmin hadn’t been aware of that. Bin always made it seem like such an adventure, and while Dongmin was quite satisfied staying on ground, keeping his feet landed, he wondered if he might enjoy it if Bin was to stay beside him. So he said, “We could make it fun! We’d...we’d be together, and exploring new places sounds-”

“You’re treating it as if I’m just on a vacation. Is that what you think this is?” Bin sighed and looked down. “It’s...cramped. It’s small, and old. It’s stressful being here.”

That didn’t sound at all how Bin normally described his position. Dongmin bit down on his lip.  _ If you don’t want me to be with you, just say it! _ he thought, but he couldn’t get the words to form properly. He was a coward. He was scared of direct confrontation. “You always…” He took a deep breath. “You always talk about how much fun-”

“That doesn’t mean it’s worth being out here. It’s a job, Dongmin, and I’m second-in-command. If you  _ were _ to come up on the ship, I wouldn’t have any time at all for you. I’m busy.”

_ If you don’t want me to be with you, just say it. _

“Then how do you have time for me now?” is what Dongmin said instead. He crossed his arms across his chest and swallowed nervously. “You always find time for me over CTL. I’m sure if we were in space together, we’d-”

Once more, once again, Bin cut him off. “This is the first down time we’ve had in months, that’s the only reason I’m able to talk to you right now.” He quieted, as if waiting for Dongmin to respond, but Dongmin could think of nothing substantial to say. “You wouldn’t be happy up here,” Bin continued, looking regretful. 

_ If you don’t want me to be with you _ -

“You don’t know that,” Dongmin said, choosing his words carefully. “You make these assumptions, but I truly think if I’m with you, I’d-”

“I have to go.” Bin spoke over him and gestured to something behind his position. “Someone’s calling me.”

There was no goodbye. There was no conclusion to their discussion. One minute, Bin was in front of him, deterring his every move, and the next minute he was gone. The CTL transmission didn’t cut off, and Dongmin was left alone, staring across from him at the scene that showed no Bin.

His heart plummeted. He felt as if Bin had just tossed him aside. Why else would the man string him along only to dissuade all attempts to form anything more than a silly, long-distance relationship? Why else would Bin treat him like some sort of dispensable friend?

Dongmin shut off the CTL transmission on his own end. His fingers shook and he tried to quell his sniffles, but they filled the quiet room anyway.

It wasn’t until the transmission ended and the lights were back on that Dongmin finally allowed himself to cry. The night had overwhelmed him, and Bin’s obvious rejection had been a little too much for him to handle. He felt silly, still, wiping tears off his cheeks and struggling to control his breathing. He had been stupid, so very stupid, to put all of his trust and faith and  _ love _ into the fake relationship he had been sharing with Bin.

He stepped out of the CTL room. He heard the faint sounds of the party, still continuing late into the night, down the hallway, but he was no longer concerned with making an appearance. He had done his part, and so he began to move slowly and quietly, creeping back down to his own bedroom. However, the moment he turned the corner, he ran into another body and panicked, stumbling backwards. He would have fallen had a hand not reached out and wrapped around his back, steadying him on his feet.

Dongmin looked up, and he felt humiliated when he realized it was Seunghwan.

“Dongmin?” the man asked, and he blinked. “I thought you were going to bed - Dongmin, are you alright? Have...have you been crying?”

“No!” Dongmin denied, and he scrambled out of Seunghwan’s grasp, rubbing at the tear stains that were obvious on his cheeks. “I...I was busy with, um, with a previous arrangement.”

“Did that previous arrangement make you cry?” Seunghwan asked. He seemed genuinely worried and concerned, and Dongmin stared up at him nervously. He was like Bin in so many ways; Bin, too, used to look at him like that when Dongmin had a particularly rough day and needed to talk. Bin had such handsome features, too, as Seunghwan did, and a charisma about him that was difficult to rival, and yet Seunghwan seemed to steal that title away. 

On top of that, Seunghwan hadn’t completely rejected him and tossed aside their entire relationship. He looked better than Bin, to Dongmin’s weary gaze.

“It’s…” He felt stupid, though, because he couldn’t betray Bin. Even now, even as Bin treated him like garbage, he couldn’t throw Bin under the bus. “Why are you here?” he asked instead, diverting the question.

Seunghwan laughed, albeit a little awkward, and said, “I met, um, one of the intelligence officers. Short man with...with a very loud mouth. He told me if I needed to pee, I could use the bathroom down here. The bathroom towards the party is a little crowded - he was brash, however, I shouldn’t have listened to him and come this way. Clearly this isn’t opened to any of the party guests. I apologize, Dongmin.”

He turned to leave, but Dongmin grabbed onto his sleeve and shook his head. “No, um...no. It’s fine. I do have a bathroom in my bedroom I can allow you to use. I think the man you’re referencing has already directed several people down this way, anyway.” One more wouldn’t hurt - especially if it was Seunghwan. 

He seemed satisfied with Dongmin’s confirmation, and together they walked into the bedroom. Still, before Seunghwan left for the bathroom, he asked, “I do know you’re avoiding my original question, and I understand if you’d rather not tell me, but...maybe I can help? I’m not too bad with offering advice.” Seunghwan smiled, gentle and calm, and said, “So if you’d like to tell me, I will listen to you completely.”

Dongmin knew he shouldn’t tarnish Bin’s name. After all, they only had one fight. Things could surely be fixed. However, he was upset and angry and frustrated. He felt as if Bin had thrown away everything they had worked for; all of Dongmin’s waiting and longing had amounted to nothing in the very end, and so he blurted out, “It’s my boyfriend - he’s not really even my boyfriend, he’s...oh, god, I don’t even know, but…” He glanced up into Seunghwan’s warm eyes. The man was waiting to hear the rest of it. He didn’t interrupt or interject, and Dongmin felt sudden peace wash over him.

“Um...it’s a long story,” he mumbled. “Maybe...why don’t you use the bathroom first. Then, if...if you still want to hear…”

“Of course.” Seunghwan nodded his head, and before he left, he reached forward and grabbed onto Dongmin’s arm. He squeezed once, lightly, and murmured, “I’ll listen to everything you say, alright?”

He left Dongmin feeling a little breathless, a little taken, and very much comforted.

Still, as Dongmin sat on the bed and waited for Seunghwan to return, he couldn’t help but think things would just be so much more simple if Bin were here with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to read [chapter four](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/35323806) of snibnoom's fic!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	5. Hera

Minhyuk didn’t know much about love.

He had seen it. He had witnessed it. When he first met Jinwoo, he saw Myungjun’s eyes sparkling as they were introduced. He saw Jinwoo laugh, hiding his smile behind his hand, as Myungjun teased him cheerfully. He understood from the first moment he saw them together that perhaps they were destined for each other. Perhaps they would soon admit their feelings, their love for one another.

Bin and Dongmin were different. Minhyuk never did meet Dongmin; all he knew was that Dongmin was, for some odd reason, the object of Bin’s affection. Bin, too, seemed to brighten considerably after even a short conversation with Dongmin - even if recently had been a different story. 

There were other examples on board the ship, too. Other crewmates seemed to have people they were falling for, or else possibly in love with, or they  _ had _ been in love, at some point or another.

Even as he sat with Sanha, on the moon Hera, relaxing after a few busy hours of shopping, Minhyuk was able to detect couples here and there. He saw love blossoming in some. Others, he found age-old love that would never leave.

Minhyuk, though, just didn’t know much about love.

He wasn’t sure what feeling people would feel. He wasn’t sure, either, what would make people stay. Wouldn’t it be a struggle, living alone with one person for years and years? Minhyuk liked being alone. He liked his time by himself. He supposed, at one point in time, he wouldn’t have minded it very much if someone else were to join him, to partake in his quest through life, but he was certain it would be doomed from the start. Most relationships were. Most relationships ended in bickering and quarreling and unhealthy feelings.

Case in point, Bin and Dongmin, who appeared to have  _ something _ going on between the two of them, something Minhyuk wasn’t privy to. 

Case in point, again, the various other couples walking out and about along Hera.

Some of them seemed fine. At least, the ones Sanha were pointing out seemed happy and satisfied with their relationship. But Minhyuk’s eye was drawn to those who appeared distant and cold and argumentative. That was what  _ he _ pointed out and explained as the epitome of all relationships.

Sanha wasn’t convinced. At least, he wasn’t convinced that solely unhappiness could come from relationships.

“Some of them look really in love,” he said, then corrected himself, “ _ most _ of them look really in love.”

Minhyuk scoffed. “Many of them hide their personal lives, obviously,” he responded. He pointed at one of the couples further down. The girl tore her hand away from her boyfriend’s, her face haughty and exasperated all at once. “Like that.”

“At least they have each other, though.”

Minhyuk thought of his parents back home. They had each other, definitely, but they were so unhappy with each other that it wasn’t even worth the close proximity. They fought tirelessly, over anything and everything. Their arguments would be hushed, when they assumed Minhyuk and his younger brother were both fast asleep in their small makeshift beds. They would divorce, apparently, if not for the fact that they were used as slave labor and, therefore, not granted similar rights as actual citizens.

If his own parents could not find happiness within each other, surely love would be too finicky for Minhyuk to ever acquire.

“You don’t want that, Sanha,” Minhyuk argued. “Look, they’re not happy.” He paused, staring at the couple and inspecting their every move. They were mad with each other; likely, the relationship was on the breaking point, anyway. It was clear they were unhappy, and would likely be unhappy until they were apart. “Relationships aren’t...they’re not all that great.”

“I  _ do _ want that.” Sanha was defiant; that was part of the reason Minhyuk became such good friends with him in the short time they knew each other. He was drawn to Sanha’s stubborn optimism. It was refreshing, and he enjoyed it. Now, though, Minhyuk just listened curiously, wondering why Sanha was so adamant that even a broken relationship was preferable. “If I had someone to love, we’d fight, but we’d talk through things and forgive each other. My mom and dad used to fight sometimes, but they made up because they loved each other.”

“I don’t know.” The couple rounds the corner, and Minhyuk continues to stare after where they went. He shook his head before glancing back at Sanha. “Relationships aren’t that great.”

He feels a poke in his side, and Sanha is smiling over at him, a little pity shining in his gaze. “You sound like you were in a bad relationship.”

It wasn’t true at all. Minhyuk never experienced the hardships a relationship would bring. However, explaining his thoughts to Sanha would be more difficult than lying, so he shrugged his shoulders and mumbled, “Something like that, I guess.”

Sanha leaned back against his arm. It would’ve been domestic, cute, flirtatious, if they were anything but very good friends. As it were, Minhyuk didn’t mind. He leaned back, too, his side pressing into Sanha’s side. Sanha was tall and warm, so Minhyuk didn’t mind a close proximity.

“Maybe I could date someone in the crew,” Sanha suddenly said.

Minhyuk’s head swiveled to face him, his eyes growing wide. He never could imagine Sanha dating anyone; for some reason, the thought of it made his heart pound wildly into his chest. What  _ if _ Sanha were to date someone in the crew? Minhyuk would have to see them every single day, most likely. They would hold hands and kiss and love each other. Minhyuk felt mad just thinking about it - likely because Sanha was  _ his _ best friend, and his alone. He didn’t want anyone else to steal away the precious time he spent in sanha’s company.

Sanha continued, “Long-distance stuff doesn’t work, I think we’ve learned. I mean, Bin and his guy aren’t doing so well right now.” He hummed in thought, then mumbled, “Though, I think Myungjun and Jinwoo seem fine, right? At least, I haven’t heard Jinwoo complain any, and last time he talked to Myungjun -  _ MJ _ , I mean, don’t let Jinwoo hear me say his full name in public-”

“It’s  _ Captain _ to you, Sanha,” Minhyuck corrected, and then he felt it necessary to focus on the more important matter at hand. “Who the hell would you even date from the crew, though?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Not Bin or Jinwoo, obviously. They both have someone, even if Bin is in a weird place right now. Also, wouldn’t it be weird to date them? They’re my commanding officers - I don’t want to date a commanding officer! Wouldn’t it be weird, Minhyuk?”

Minhyuk agreed, if only because he couldn’t ever imagine Sanha with either of the two older men.

“I don’t want to date Suyeon, either.” Sanha appeared to be going down some sort of list in his head, naming the crew members he was not too keen on ever dating. “She called me  _ dude _ the other day. That’s something my brother calls me all the time, so it’d be like dating my brother, wouldn’t it?”

Minhyuk could neither confirm nor deny that. He thought Sanha was being silly, throwing away a potential relationship simply because he didn’t like the nickname the girl gave to him, but, at the same time, he couldn’t very well complain about it. He’d rather Sanha  _ not _ date Suyeon.

He tried to think of someone he wouldn’t mind Sanha falling in love with. He could think of absolutely no one, but rather than say that, he instead decided to play along. “Soeun?” he asked. “I mean, aren’t you two the same age?”

“She’s a little boring,” Sanha responded. “I don’t think she’d be willing to go on adventures with me. I need someone fun and more spontaneous - besides, I overheard her talking to someone in CTL once, and I’m pretty sure she has a sweetheart back home.”

“Cute,” Minhyuk said, though his mind was elsewhere - mostly on how Sanha was actually a catch, and could probably end up dating most anyone on the ship. Except, maybe, for a few people, but it certainly would be no fault of Sanha’s. “Chaeyong wouldn’t date you, I don’t think,” he mumbled. “Much too old. You’d need someone your age.”

“I’m nineteen!” Sanha exclaimed. “She’s only a few years older than me, so it wouldn’t be  _ that _ weird.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t want to date a baby.”

“Good thing I’m not a baby.” 

And, yet, he was pouting like a baby, a scene that instantly made Minhyuk quite amused. He decided not to press the matter too much, though, and instead shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe, then, Sookyung. She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“She’s  _ annoying _ ,” Sanha bemoaned. “Do I look like I want to date someone annoying?”

Minhyuk shook his head, and Sanha seemed satisfied enough until Minhyuk replied, “But you need to date a baby like you.”

“Minhyuk-”

Minhyuk ignored the warning tone in his voice and snapped his fingers suddenly. “Oh! Hyunseo! He isn’t annoying, is he? He’s cool, too.” But that would be giving Sanha someone to  _ date _ . Even if Hyunseo was a perfectly fine choice, Minhyuk couldn’t willingly allow Sanha to date anyone. Sanha was one of his best friends and only friends. Besides, dating within the crew would be difficult. What if the relationship likely turned tumultuous? How would either half of the relationship go about their duties with hatred and anger in their hearts? So, just to dissuade Sanha from dating Hyunseo, Minhyuk added, “Though, he’s a little clueless. I asked him last month to check the drive systems, and he really had no idea where to look. I don’t think you need to date a foolish man.”

“Exactly!” Sanha exclaimed, agreeing instantly. “I mean,  _ I  _ could find the drive systems!”

Minhyuk couldn’t help but laugh at Sanha’s attempt to impress him. It didn’t work, because Minhyuk was already as impressed with Sanha as he would ever be. How did such a young child know how to pilot a ship? How did someone as inexperienced with the ways of the world as Sanha manage to join an anti-Syndicate movement?

How did Sanha have such a tight grasp on his heart?

It was a friendship, though. Nothing more, nothing less. Minhyuk always liked people who were smart and funny and capable, and Sanha was all that and then some.

So he couldn’t help but say, “I guess I’m one of the only people on the ship left for you.” He had been overwhelmed with easy affection, and the words tumbled out without any sort of warning. Trying to redeem himself, he added, “You  _ don’t _ want to date me, though, do you?”

Sanha was quick to respond. “No way! Not ever - not in a million years!”

Minhyuk wondered why his heart felt like it was ripped apart.

“That’s good,” he murmured, and he was unsure what else he could say. Sanha didn’t like him in that way, obviously. Sanha would be much more into someone else, someone who was taller, maybe, cooler, maybe,  _ not Minhyuk _ , definitely. He had to pretend as if he had known such a thing all along. He had to pretend it didn’t bug him, for some reason. “It would be awkward if you somehow liked me.”

Sanha just laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think you have to worry about that!” he reassured Minhyuk before standing from his seat, from Minhyuk’s slight embrace. It felt so empty without Sanha there, and so as to not feel alone, Minhyuk stood up beside him. “Why don’t we head back to the ship?” Sanha suggested. “And, on our way, we can maybe stop and get some more caramel wedges!”

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Minhyuk questioned. After all, he already bought Sanha one bag. Together, they devoured it, but while Minhyuk was full of snacks, it appeared Sanha’s bottomless stomach could take more. “You’ll get sick if you keep eating like this, Sanha.”

Sanha gave him a pout in response, and Minhyuk felt his heart skip a beat. Sanha was, honestly, too cute. Even if they were to be nothing but platonic friends, Minhyuk was still allowed to think Sanha was cute, and he truly was. He was also skilled at making people agree, for Minhyuk groaned and nodded. “Fine. Let’s go get some more, then.”

They held hands as they walked back to the vendor stand. Minhyuk claimed, as he grabbed onto Sanha’s hand, it was simply so they wouldn’t get lost in a crowd, and while that was partially true, Minhyuk definitely had an ulterior motive. He wanted to feel what holding hands with Sanha was like. He wanted to grasp onto Sanha’s hand tightly and pretend, for a quick second, that love could blossom between them.

Of course, he knew love never would. He knew they were nothing but friends. He didn’t  _ mind _ being nothing but friends - he didn’t  _ want _ more.

So he told himself.

He ordered another bag of caramel wedges. The vendor, a sweet lady with a kind smile, passed the bag over to Sanha’s free hand, awaiting the goodies in anticipation. She grinned at the excitement plastered across his face and commented about how cute Sanha was, or something like that. Minhyuk agreed, but only internally. Outwardly, he asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about payment!” she tutted, waving Minhyuk’s inquiry aside. “It’s free of charge for such a cute couple. I didn’t know Kyklos allowed their members to date - wasn’t there a rule against that? I’m not sure, I’m older, so perhaps it was abolished more recently.”

Minhyuk contemplated explaining the situation, perhaps letting the woman know that he and Sanha weren’t a couple. It would be easy to tell her, after all, to brush it all off as a simple misunderstanding. However, he felt his mouth dry up the moment he  _ thought _ about rejecting the notion of being Sanha’s boyfriend.

If he was Sanha’s boyfriend, they  _ would _ be damn cute, he knew that much.

So, instead, he winked at her and whispered, “They don’t allow Kyklos members to date.” She giggled, reminding Minhyuk of some teenage girl, and then with a smile and a wave, Minhyuk was off, dragging with him a spluttering, flustered Sanha.

Sanha, unfortunately, tugged away from him, holding his hand to his chest in apparent shock. “What was  _ that _ all about, Minhyuk?” he asked. “We’re  _ not _ dating!”

Minhyuk had acted selfishly. He hadn’t bothered to see if Sanha would go along with his stupid charade of pretending to be boyfriends, if only for a few seconds. Still, he couldn’t really apologize, as that wasn’t in his nature, nor could he spill such a stupid secret, so he instead shrugged his shoulders. “Free food, Sanha. I saved you six credits doing that.”

“But now she thinks-”

“Relax. Like I mentioned, I wouldn’t ever date you.” The words felt like poison coming from his mouth, and Minhyuk had to wear a fake smile in order to sell it right. He didn’t want to seem like he wasn’t genuine, but he  _ wasn’t _ genuine. Deep down inside, he had liked people noticing that he and Sanha would make a cute couple. “We’re best friends. I mean, we can pretend again to get free food, but we wouldn’t  _ actually _ date. You know that, right?”

Sanha cocked his head and then smiled, charming and sweet and  _ oh so cute _ . Minhyuk’s heart beat faster in his chest. “Why not, Minhyuk? I’m pretty adorable, don’t you think?”

It was enough to make Minhyuk completely blush, to make him hide his face and speed off quickly into the crowd, trying to conceal his feelings. He heard Sanha calling after him, but he refused to turn around.

If he turned before he gathered control over his feelings, he might blurt out something he would definitely regret.

_ I think I like you, Sanha _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to read [chapter five](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/35547450) of snibnoom's fic!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	6. Atlas

Minhyuk had been initially hopeful about this plan that Jinwoo and Myungjun had concocted. 

It seemed simple enough: find Cho Minsoo on the planet of Atlas and take away the documents he had with incriminating evidence of the Syndicate’s wrongdoings.

Jinwoo had promised that they would figure out the nitty-gritty details later on, when they tracked down Minsoo, but as they hid behind bushes in front of the man’s house, Minhyuk realized that Jinwoo still had no plan.

“We could’ve been trying to plan this out on the ship,” Bin whispered, obviously frustrated. “What are we supposed to do now?”

Their target, Minsoo, had left ten minutes ago with a small dog on a leash, presumably taking his pet out for a walk. Had the property not been equipped with high-powered cameras and a sensor fence that would detect their movement if they dared cross the line, there wasn’t much to do. 

Minhyuk sighed loudly and pursed his lips together. “I feel like this is partially Myungjun’s fault.”

“It’s  _ MJ _ while we’re out,” Jinwoo snapped, but Minhyuk didn’t care; it wasn’t as if anyone else was hiding in the bushes to hear them.

Bin looked deep in thought, clearly trying to come up with some sort of plan all on his own. Jinwoo, it seemed, was lost of what to do next, and Sanha sat there chewing at the inside of his cheek in worry.

Minhyuk was the only sane member left, so he asked, “Why can’t we just go follow him? Maybe we can, I don’t know, punch him and knock him out or something.”

“Then what?” Jinwoo asked, exasperated. “Then what are we supposed to do after we ‘knock him out,’ Minhyuk? He’ll wake up and we won’t gather any sort of information.”

He tried a different strategy. “Maybe we can just politely ask him for the information, then.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jinwoo huffed and seemed ready to tell Minhyuk off, but he shushed all of them just then. Minsoo was coming back down the sidewalk, cooing at his little dog, which yapped annoyingly at his heels. Minsoo looked happy, satisfied with life, and Minhyuk felt sick to his stomach. There was a man who was well aware of the secret proceedings on the Syndicate. There was a man who  _ knew _ of all the slavery and abuse his company enacted, and yet he was smiling at his stupid, little dog with such pride and joy that Minhyuk felt sick to his stomach.

“We should steal that ugly thing,” he murmured to Jinwoo, gesturing at the dog.

Jinwoo, sympathetic, gave Minhyuk a small pat on his back, but otherwise said, “We’re not going to steal his dog.”

“Wait.” Bin shifted, facing the three others, and he glanced at Minhyuk with a small smirk. “Minhyuk, that’s a brilliant plan!”

“It is?” both Minhyuk and Jinwoo said at the same time. Minhyuk hadn’t thought it would be taken as some sort of plan or idea. He had simply been frustrated with the lack of care that Minsoo had for others, and he was willing to get his hands dirty in an effort to make the man feel even as partially upset as Minhyuk did on a daily basis.

Bin waited, holding his breath as Minsoo entered his house again, the dog still with him, and once they were all alone, he was able to speak a bit louder. “We hold his dog for ransom! He looks like he really loves it a lot, so we take it with us next time it comes out and we leave a note behind saying that we’ll return the dog safely when he gives us the information we need.”

“Would he really go for it?” Jinwoo didn’t seem very convinced. “I mean, it’s just a dog. He’d probably have the means to get more.”

“The dog’s nails are painted,” Sanha pointed out. Three pairs of eyes glanced at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. “I just noticed it when they first came out. If he paints his dog’s nails, obviously he really loves it.”

Minhyuk’s original plan wasn’t exactly going into effect. He didn’t want to hold a dog for ransom; he just wanted to make Minsoo sad. “What if he doesn’t give us what we need, though?” he asks. “I mean, Sanha’s probably right, but this information is extremely important, and incriminating, and they basically give us leverage to speak out a bit more against the Syndicate. If he values his life, he might not do anything, because the Syndicate will kill him if they learn what he did.”

Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders. “This is just a risk we’re going to have to take. To add more pressure, we’ll threaten to kill his dog if he doesn’t hand over the evidence.”

“I’m not going to kill a dog!” Sanha exclaimed, shaking his head. “ _ Nope _ . We’re  _ not _ killing a cute, little dog just for some information! We don’t even know what Minsoo knows - what if it’s nothing? What if MJ already told us this?”

“We won’t actually kill it,” Jinwoo assured all of them. “I mean, if he doesn’t give us anything, we can take the dog from him, regardless.”

“And just ride around with it on our ship?” Minhyuk asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jinwoo took a deep breath; clearly, he was at his wit’s end with trying to please everyone, and so he finally made an executive decision. “We’re going to take the dog. We’re going to hold it for ransom. If Minsoo doesn’t give us what we want in the end, we’ll...we’ll figure out what to do next. I don’t necessarily want to kill a dog, either, but maybe we can find a new home for it. I can ask MJ, if it comes down to that, what he thinks we should do. MJ should know.”

Minhyuk wasn’t completely satisfied with the decision. He was thinking more of  _ revenge _ and less of a plan, but it would probably create the same results, regardless, and so he nodded in agreement, along with everyone else.

The plan did entail waiting outside of the house for the dog to come back into the yard. It was a boring task, too, and Sanha moaned more than once that he was going to fall asleep if they stayed in their position any longer.

“This isn’t as fun as you guys made it out to be,” Sanha complained, pulling at some leaves from the neatly trimmed bushes. “When you said  _ stake-out _ , I thought it was going to be intense and cool.”

Minhyuk forgot that Sanha was a little new to the shady deeds that Jinwoo and the rest of them were always up to. Sanha must have assumed that much of their tasks would be adventurous and fun, perhaps a little dangerous. Maybe he was looking forward to it.

Sanha was cute. Minhyuk hated himself for thinking that Sanha was cute, however, so he just scoffed and mumbled, “I don’t know why you’d think any of this is fun.”

Sanha frowned and made a move to respond, but Minsoo’s door finally opened, and the little dog ran outside, prancing about the front yard. Minhyuk peered out from the bushes, waiting until Minsoo went back inside and left the dog by itself.

“Okay,” he whispered once the front doors were closed again. “How the hell do we get the dog past the sensor fence?”

“Oh, christ,” Jinwoo cursed, as they all realized they hadn’t thought through that portion of the plan. Minhyuk wished he worked with a brighter crew sometimes.

Bin, though, was digging through the bag slung across his back, muttering something under his breath about  _ food _ and  _ treat _ . Minhyuk, frustrated, nudged his friend. “It’s no time to eat,” he complained. “We’re all hungry, but we need to get the dog first.”

“The food’s not for me!” Bin exclaimed. “It’s for the dog.” He pulled out some meat from his backpack, a big thing of jerky, and grinned widely. “We’ll entice the dog over here, so the cameras don’t see us. The sensors will still raise an alarm, but we won’t be on video, and we’ll have the dog by then. We’ll just have to hurry and run away before Minsoo comes back out to find us.”

It wasn’t a flawless plan, but it was the best idea that they had at the moment. Bin waited for the rest of the crew to agree with his thoughts, and then he held out the jerky, ensuring his body was still hidden from view of the cameras. He whistled for the dog, and through the bushes, Minhyuk noticed the little thing perked up its ears and sniffed the air.

It was a stupid dog, he thought, for it came closer without much more hesitation, as if it was excited to have some sort of meal at its disposal. Its tail wagged and it hurried past the sensor of the fence.

Once it did, the alarms went off. Bin quickly snatched the dog up, and Jinwoo gestured for them all to run. Minhyuk’s heart pounded as he scurried away, and despite his own fear of getting caught, he made certain to keep an eye on Sanha.

Sanha had long legs, though, and an easy escape was made back onto the ship. They heard Minsoo at one point, far behind them, yelling for his little dog (why did he name it Baby? Why was Minsoo uncreative as well as evil?), but none of them stopped until the doors to the  _ K.C.S. Ambition _ were closed and they were safe and secure.

And then Minhyuk asked, “Wait - did anyone remember to leave a note?”

Jinwoo’s language, Minhyuk learned, was extremely colorful.

 

********************

 

Myungjun felt elated when Jinwoo contacted him for a CTL conversation. He also felt relief, because he might finally have someone to talk to concerning his coworker’s slight suspicion. Gukheon had yet to say anything to him concerning that night of the party, where he was caught snooping about Dongmin’s room, but since then, Myungjun had been noticing Gukheon’s odd behavior. The man hardly spoke to him, just a few greetings here and there when they ran into each other, but he would stare at Myungjun during work, eyes narrowed and inquisitive. 

The man had also gotten access to Myungjun’s personal files, one day, and had whispered, “Are you really from Helen?”

Myungjun, shocked that his coworker was aware, glanced at him and asked, “How the hell do you know?”

“I was just curious,” Gukheon had said, but the man smirked, as if he had just figured out some sort of juicy information. It wasn’t necessarily a secret that Myungjun had been born and raised on Helen, but the majority of Syndicate employees had no idea about the enslaved people of Helen. No one knew that Myungjun, too, was born into this slavery, and that he had taken an oath to never discuss it and to place all loyalties into the Kyklos Syndicate.

So he told himself Gukheon probably just figured out, maybe because he heard rumors and wanted to know if they were true, but it was difficult to believe that when Gukheon never once asked him anything more concerning his home planet. Why ask the first time without any follow-up questions?

The final straw came when Myungjun realized Gukheon at  _ his _ desk, at  _ his _ computer. Myungjun had hurried forward, nudging him aside. “Stop messing with my stuff, Gukheon,” he fussed.

“Sorry.” Gukheon didn’t seem apologetic, despite saying such. “I was just curious, is all.”

“What in the world are you even curious  _ about? _ ” Myungjun snapped. He glanced over the files that Gukheon had opened - several of them seemed to be about the  _ K.C.S. Ambition _ , but they were simply official documents that Myungjun had saved onto his computer. There was nothing shady about the information.

Except, the only files Gukheon had opened were  _ K.C.S. Ambition _ , Myungjun realized as he closed out of some of the files. No other ships were brought up. No other information was listed.

Just stuff concerning the one ship Myungjun had been contacting regularly.

Before he could ask Gukheon, confront him or anything of the sort, the man was walking away, not bidding Myungjun any sort of goodbye. His behavior was weird, and Myungjun was growing concerned that he was catching onto him.

He wanted to talk to Jinwoo about it, to express his fears and concerns, but that evening, when the CTL communication was established between them, he realized that Jinwoo had his own issues to deal with, namely being a missing dog and Cho Minsoo’s acceptance of the ransom.

Myungjun could deal with Gukheon’s snooping for the time being. He was sure he was being extremely careful, and even though he saved a handful of his communications with Jinwoo, he ensured they remained only at his house, only on his personal device. He needed them, anyway, for documentation purposes, and also because one of them contained Jinwoo calling him  _ cute _ . He needed that more than anything else.

Jinwoo was the one with the problem for the moment, and Myungjun calmed him slightly, reminding him Minsoo wouldn’t do anything if he had accepted the ransom - he seemed to love his dog very much.

He put Jinwoo at ease, and then Jinwoo asked, “Is everything going smoothly for you since we’ve last spoken?”

Myungjun had the opportunity to tell him about Gukheon, to explain his worries of getting caught, but then he would simply add onto the problems that Jinwoo already had. He would cause Jinwoo more trouble, and he couldn’t do that.

“It’s fine,” he said, after a slight hesitation. He noticed Jinwoo peering at him; despite the obvious transmission of a message, it still feels as if Jinwoo is in the room with him, and it still feels as if his eyes are searching through Myungjun’s very soul. 

“Well, we should be back on Mars soon,” Jinwoo said, and Myungjun released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Jinwoo was sweet; Jinwoo understood that things would be fine with Myungjun. He wouldn’t pry unless he had to, probably, and now he could retain his peace of mind. “A month or two, perhaps.” He kept talking, and as he spoke, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled charmingly over at Myungjun.

Myungjun’s heart skipped several beats, he was so enthralled with how handsome Jinwoo looked.

“Chaeyoung and I will have the chance to spend time of Juno-”

Jinwoo’s nose was screwed up as he seemed to repeat from his memory where the  _ K.C.S. Ambition _ would go to next. He was cute. “Then we have errands on Theseus, but after that, we come back to Mars.”

He would get to see Jinwoo again. After months, he would get to see Jinwoo  _ for real _ , not just the Jinwoo transmitted by lasers. 

“We’ll only be there for a few days, but-”

“I can’t wait to see you again.”

Myungjun blurted out the words before he could stop himself, a little bit breathlessly, and he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, shocked at what he said. Fortunately, Jinwoo didn't’ seem to mind. He laughed and nodded his head in agreement. “I know. I...I can’t wait to see you, either. God, three months is too long to be away from you.” He gave a slight  _ tsk _ , and added, “I just haven’t told the rest of the crew yet that we’ll be heading back so soon.”

Thankful that his little mistake wasn’t too big of a deal, Myungjun let his hands drop, and he chastised, “Jinwoo! As a captain, you need to keep the crew informed!”

“I know!” Jinwoo said, laughing again. “But I doubt many of them will care, except for Bin. He’s the only one from Mars.”

“Well,  _ I’m _ on Mars. And…” He was going to flirt. He  _ had _ to flirt. He wanted Jinwoo to smile at him again, and he wanted things to remain more-than-friendly between the two of them. He really liked Jinwoo. “You’re excited to see me, aren’t you, Jinnie?” He batted his eyelashes for good measure, trying to tease.

It worked - Jinwoo grinned and responded, “You know I am, Jun.”

Their time was cut short, though, just as Myungjun gained the confidence to continue his flirting. Minhyuk popped in, mentioned an issue, and then left, without saying hello to either of them. Myungjun’s heart sank when he realized they could no longer talk to each other, but he managed to keep a wide smile on his face. “I’ll be here, whenever you get a chance to talk again,” he promised. “Be safe, Jinnie, and tell me how things go with the dog.”

Jinwoo was so cute. Jinwoo was so sweet. Jinwoo was smart and brave and talented, and  _ god _ , Myungjun felt like his heart was about to burst from how much he loved Jinwoo.

He saved a copy of that particular transmission. He wanted to replay the parts where Jinwoo called him by his nickname, and where Jinwoo admitted that he was excited to see Myungjun.

He slept well, for the first time in a few nights, and was bright and cheerful when he headed into work the next morning. He even took the time to greet Gukheon, without looking at him in suspicion, as he sat down at his desk.

“Did you have a good night, then?” Gukheon asked, raising his eyebrows from Myungjun’s good mood.

“I had a  _ fantastic _ night!” Myungjun exclaimed. He thought of the transmission saved on his personal device, and he smiled to himself, trying to remember Jinwoo’s exact facial expressions in his head as he said,  _ Three months is too long to be away from you _ . He was ecstatic, floating in the clouds, and he felt a little silly to be feeling such a way, but Jinwoo just did that to him.

However, he was brought back down to Mars rather abruptly, from Gukheon’s next words. “So, how’s Captain Jinwoo?”

Myungjun blinked, then glanced over at Gukheon. The man was smirking. “Ex...excuse me?” Myungjun stammered. “Captain...Jinwoo?”

Gukheon nodded, but turned back to his computer. “Captain of the  _ K.C.S. Ambition _ . Captain Jinwoo.”

“What...what makes you think I talk to Captain Jinwoo?” Myungjun asked, trying to play dumb.

Gukheon shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t meet Myungjun’s eyes. “Just a guess,” he said. And then, quieter, he added, “I hear he has a new pet.”

Myungjun didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure how to reply. All of his happiness escaped him quickly, though, replaced with dread and fear, and he turned to his own computer, fingers shaking as he started on the work he had to do for the day.

Somehow, some way, Gukheon knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to read [chapter six](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/35751423) of snibnoom's fic!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	7. Mars .03

Dongmin sat in his father’s office, close to his desk, and looked around the area in slight curiosity. It wasn’t too often he was called to the Kyklos headquarters to meet with his father. If they had anything to discuss, it could usually wait until they were both at home, at one point or another. However, he had gotten a call earlier in the day, his father requesting for them to meet inside his office. Dongmin wasn’t sure why, but he decided against asking any questions. It must be something rather important if they were meeting at his father’s place of work for it.

While in wait, he gazed over at the desk before him. It was clean and neat, organized as much as his father’s entire life was organized. There were a few knick-knacks on the space of the desk - with a smile, Dongmin noticed a mug that he had gotten for his father when he was very young. He wasn’t aware his father still used it.

Beside the mug sat a picture frame. Dongmin cocked his head, staring over at it, feeling suddenly very thoughtful and grateful. It was an older photograph, his father holding onto him tightly. Dongmin’s face was screwed up in a wide, beaming grin as he looked upon the camera, as if nothing in the world could ever make him upset.

Dongmin couldn’t help but pick the frame up to examine it closer. He remembered such wonderful times, before his father took a promotion, before his father became focused on bettering their lives. While their relationship wasn’t dreadful, it was nowhere near what it used to be. Dongmin missed the simplicity of their lives before Kyklos became a large indicator in their relationship.

As he stared at the picture, he heard the door behind him open. “Oh, Dongmin!” his father said, announcing his arrival. Dongmin set the frame back down and stood up, bowing lightly in order to greet Wonshik. “I didn’t realize you would be here so soon. My secretary called me to tell me you arrived - how are you? I tried to contact you earlier, but I think you were still asleep.”

Dongmin smiled gently. He only sat when his father, too, was seated. Wonshik looked so commanding in his giant chair behind his desk, and Dongmin felt proud that his father was able to advance so far in life. “I like to sleep in sometimes,” he defended himself. “I still woke up earlier than I would have liked to, however. Sleeping in with that sunrise is too difficult.”

“Why don’t you close the blinds? I got you the shades for a reason.”

“It’s too dark in my room when I do that,” Dongmin complained. “And I like going to sleep with the moon shining through. It’s pretty.”

Wonshik just smirked and shook his head. “Then I guess it’s probably your own fault that you can’t sleep in, right?”

“Probably!” Dongmin laughed. He sat straighter in his chair and cleared his throat. “But, uh, is...is there a reason you’ve called me in today? Usually, we just discuss whatever we need to when you get off. Why’s today different?”

Wonshik grinned, and instead of answering the question, he leaned in closer. “How is your relationship going with Seunghwan?” he asked, quietly.

“Seunghwan?” Dongmin wasn’t quite sure why Seunghwan was being mentioned.

His father nodded. “Yeah. How many dates have the two of you been on?”

Dongmin blinked, then answered, “It’s only been two,” and Wonshik smiled again.

Dongmin felt guilty, sometimes, when he thought of how much fun he had with Seunghwan on their dates. He took advantage of being close by. They would hold hands, they would hug, and they shared their first kiss at the end of their second date, visiting the largest aquarium established on Mars, a place where many specimen from Earth were able to be viewed. It had been a little pricey to get them both inside, even more so when Dongmin added on the behind-the-scenes tour. Seunghwan had asked him, at some point, “Isn’t this too much, Dongmin? Surely I’m not worth it all.”

Dongmin had wanted someone to share dates with, however. He thought often of Bin; Bin was up in space, for months and months, and didn’t even seem certain he wanted a relationship when he came back down to Mars. Dongmin wondered if he had just been someone Bin could hold onto while up in space. After all, the crew of the  _ Ambition _ traveled for lengthy periods of time. Bin wouldn’t be able to establish any sort of relationship while they were working. It seemed Bin didn’t  _ want _ to establish a relationship while he was working.

Either that, or he found someone else, and he was just trying to let Dongmin off gently. Dongmin always felt a lump in his throat when he thought of that possibility. He wondered who it would be. He had met a few of the crew members before the  _ Ambition _ took off into space. Jinwoo was the captain, and he was handsome and smart and confident. He got along well with Bin, too. They would be the most likely option.

Or, maybe, Bin liked one of the pretty girls who worked alongside him. Bin had mentioned the name  _ Suyeon _ a few times. He said she nagged him often and hurried along his CTL communications. Perhaps there was something going on between the two of them.

Whatever the case, Dongmin had decided to pour all of his free time and his affection into his relationship with Seunghwan. Seunghwan was nice, nicer than Bin, and charming, more so than Bin. He wasn’t lacking in many areas at all, and when Dongmin was with him, he sometimes even forgot about Bin.

His father was aware they were dating, but he didn’t know why his father was so interested in his relationship suddenly. He hadn’t asked about Seunghwan before, so why  _ now _ , and why did he call Dongmin into his office at work to ask?

“Do you like him, Dongmin?” Wonshik asked.

Dongmin was quick to answer, quick to tell the truth. “I really do,” he said, nodding his head. While he often reminisced how things would be if he was with Bin, he felt that Seunghwan filled the gaping hole in his heart, the hole placed there by Bin’s actions. Seunghwan seemed to understand, too, just how fond Dongmin was of Bin, and never once did he try to outright replace Bin’s presence. He simply wanted to be there for Dongmin, so he said, to cherish him while Bin was away.

Dongmin had asked him once, “What if Bin comes back?”

Seunghwan shrugged. “That’s up for you to decide what to do. I’ll respect whatever decision you make.” He had laughed and added, “The selfish part of me, of course, wants to have you all to myself, but I’ll understand if you choose him over me.”

Dongmin didn’t know if he  _ could _ choose Bin over Seunghwan, at this point. Of course, he was certain he would never be put in that position. Bin made his feelings rather clear. Bin hadn’t even tried contacting him since then, and so Dongmin’s decision was to just stay with Seunghwan.   
“Would...would you ever invite Seunghwan to move in with you?” Wonshik suddenly continued.

Surprised by the question, Dongmin looked up, his eyes wide. “Would I…? Excuse me?”

Wonshik was not affected at all by the question, despite it being rather personal. He asked again, “Would you ever invite your boyfriend to move in with you?”

Dongmin furrowed his eyebrows and sat back in his chair. “I feel like that’s not really a question you should be asking me at this point, Dad,” he said. “I mean, we’ve only been on two dates. Maybe later on in life, if things are going well, then-”

“He’s moving in with you.”

“What?” Dongmin lost all words, all trains of thought in his mind, and asked again, “What?”

Wonshik smiled, though he looked rather apologetic. “I thought...well, I mean, Seunghwan has to move closer to the headquarters, since he’ll be stationed here now, and they have yet to set up housing for him. He’s been traveling long distances everyday to arrive at work, and so I offered to have him stay with you in the employee housing for a while.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I just thought you might enjoy it, since you seem to really like him, and Seunghwan has already told me he’ll happily move in, as long as you agree to it.”

“He knew and he didn’t tell me?” Dongmin asked.

“I asked him not to. I wanted to talk to you about it. After all, you might feel pressured to say yes if Seunghwan is asking you. He’s charming, and I’ve seen the way you look when you talk about him!” Wonshik laughed lightly. “But if it’s just me, just your father, then you can say no. I’ll come up with an excuse for Seunghwan without any issues - just give me your answer by tonight, and we can figure it out from there!”

Dongmin pursed his lips and took a deep breath. He was extremely nervous about the prospect of Seunghwan moving in with him. It seemed as if things might be awkward between the two of them. Their relationship was still brand new, only a few days old, and moving in so suddenly might be weird. They were moving too fast, mostly due in part to Dongmin’s sudden attachment.

Perhaps he was too spurred by Bin’s rejection, and simply fell into whoever’s arms would support him instead.

Thinking of Bin caused a pain to grasp at his heart. Dongmin narrowed his eyes as he looked back down at the ground, remembering how apathetic Bin had seemed to their entire situation, remembering how short Bin had been with him, remembering all the care and affection they once held for each now vanished into thin air for some unknown reason.

And then he thought of Seunghwan, who was kind and understanding, who kissed him sweetly and held him gently. 

If it had been Bin moving in, Dongmin felt he would have said yes immediately. He had never even  _ dated _ Bin - they shared nothing but a single kiss and light-years apart. Seunghwan, however, was by his side at all times and shared with him more emotions and feelings than Bin did, even within these few short days.

If he could so easily say yes to Bin, then he should also be able to easily say yes to Seunghwan. 

“I won’t mind if he moves in,” Dongmin said. He took another breath and looked up into his father’s eyes. Wonshik looked pleasantly surprised, and Dongmin returned his smile and continued, “I mean, he  _ is _ my boyfriend, and...and I’d like him close by me at all times. That’d be nice.”

“Wonderful!” Wonshik exclaimed. “I can tell him today - or, if you’d like,  _ you _ can tell him. I’ll prepare the spare room for him, as well, unless you two-”

“Spare room is fine,” Dongmin blurted. He knew he was blushing, and he felt the redness spread all throughout his face as his father laughed at him. Most couples probably would share a bed, but Dongmin would feel weird sharing a bed so quickly, if only because they had only been together for a short time. He thought later on, perhaps, then Seunghwan could move into his bedroom, when they became more acquainted with each other, when they confessed their love for each other. A spare bedroom would just have to work for the time being. “And I can tell him. He’s working today, isn’t he? I could surprise him with the news, probably.”

Wonshik nodded his head, but before he could say anything else, his secretary popped his head in the door and cleared his throat. “Mr. Lee? You have someone here to see you - Cho Gukheon.”

Wonshik looked over at him in confusion. “Who?” he questioned.

“Um...Cho Gukheon. He’s part of the intelligence sector.”

Wonshik shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not in charge of that department. He should have no reason to come see me, and if he wants to, he can make an appointment. I’m meeting with my son at the moment regarding important matters.”

Dongmin, not wanting to feel like a burden, leaned into his father’s desk. “Dad, I can go. We’ve just about finished up here, haven’t we?”

His father shushed him. “No, you have no reason to leave, Dongmin. This Gukheon fellow can contact me and request and appointment, but I-”

“Sir, he says he has rather interesting information for you,” the secretary murmured. “Regarding another employee in the intelligence sector who seems to be trying to infiltrate one of your ships?”

Dongmin watched the proceeding with interest. He probably shouldn’t be listening in to it, but no one was telling him that he had to leave. Besides,  _ he _ had someone on one of his father’s ships whom he cared for, even if they didn’t care for him back. He hoped, whoever it was, would be punished and fired. There was no reason to harm an innocent cargo ship.

“Does Gukheon have physical evidence that this is the case?” Wonshik asked, glaring at his secretary.

The secretary swallowed nervously, then spoke to the side, to someone hiding behind the door, someone Dongmin  _ assumed _ was Gukheon. When the secretary looked back, he said, “Some screenshots of files this employee pulled up of the ship, but he said he was unable to gather physical copies of anything else.”

“All of the intelligence employees pull up files of ships,” Wonshik snapped. “Tell him to make an appointment with me. I’m not going to listen to a bunch of conjecture, not when I’m talking to my son-”

“I’m leaving,” Dongmin exclaimed, standing from his seat. His father looked at him incredulously, and Dongmin said, “We’ve discussed all we needed to. Besides, I’d rather someone  _ not _ be trying to harm one of your ships. It’s better to listen, in this case. And we can talk more when you get off, right? You can stop by my house to set things up. Seunghwan, I guess, will be there, too.”

His father sighed and dismissed him finally, making sure to say, “Travel home safely, Dongmin. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Dad,” Dongmin replied, and he bowed shortly to the secretary as he exited the room, and once again to Gukheon. 

He wondered how on earth an intelligence officer would be infiltrating a cargo ship. He wondered  _ why _ on earth an intelligence officer would be infiltrating a cargo ship. What was their to gain from such a thing? And if it was an officer with high clearance, as most of the intelligence employees were, why wouldn’t they target something within the government? Targeting a shipping company made no sense.

Dongmin hoped it wasn’t Bin’s ship, but he decided not to dwell on that. Bin could take care of himself. Bin was smart and strong and capable. Bin wouldn’t let anything ever hurt him.

“God, stop it,” Dongmin mumbled to himself as he walked down the hallway. He slapped his own cheeks a few times and huffed in frustration. He needed to stop thinking about Bin, especially when he was going to ask his boyfriend to move in with him. Bin didn’t care for him anymore. Bin had shared  _ something _ with him, but clearly it was no longer important. Seunghwan was the most important thing now in Dongmin’s life; he was going to just have to get used to being without Bin.

He knew he could get used to it. He knew having Seunghwan with him would be better, anyway, and he knew, in time, he would fall in love with Seunghwan, just as he had with Bin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to read [chapter six](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/35751423) of snibnoom's fic!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	8. Gilese System .02

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this won't make sense unless you read snibnoom's [chapter 8](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/36418761)! go check it out!

Minhyuk didn’t often hang out in the medical bay. He never had any need to, nor any desire to - Bin was the chief medical officer, and he had Sebin to help out in case of an emergency, so Minhyuk was simply never called to assist in anyway. His only exposure was the few times he received his own checkups, and those were few and far between.

Here he was, however, standing worriedly near the bed that housed Sanha, holding onto the boy’s hand and chewing nervously on his lip. 

“He’s knocked out again,” he murmured to Bin, who stood nearby checking some information on his computer. “”Bin, look, did he lose consciousness? Maybe we-”

“He’s asleep,” Bin responded. “Like he’s been for the past twenty minutes or so.”

He heard Bin typing something, but he didn’t glance over. He kept his eyes trained solely on Sanha. He  _ did _ , however, mumble, “He wasn’t asleep, I saw him turn his head.”

Bin sighed loudly, then maneuvered to stand behind Minhyuk. “Here, move. I need to check his vitals.”

“Can’t you do that from your computer?” Minhyuk whined. “You have him hooked up to all these machines, so you have to have  _ some _ information up there.”

Bin’s answer was to make a face at him and then physically push him aside. In doing so, Minhyuk had to release Sanha’s hand, and he watched nervously as it fell limply to his side. “Bin,” he started, trying to shove his way back to Sanha. “It helps if I hold his hand-”

“He’s  _ asleep! _ ” Bin exclaimed. Bin was strong; while Minhyuk liked to consider himself strong as well, he knew he was no match for Bin. “Minhyuk, seriously, just take a few steps back and allow me some space to breathe, alright?”

Minhyuk knew that would be the best thing to do. He knew Bin needed to work and ensure Sanha would be fine and safe, but as he hovered behind Bin, he couldn’t help but feel like Sanha  _ needed _ for him to be there, to stand beside him, to hold his hand and guard him through it all.

After the ship had been attacked, Minhyuk thought his heart would never return back to its normal heart rate. He had been so panicked upon seeing Sanha laying in the hallway, and even as Bin had calmed him slightly, leaving Sanha was painful. His heart ached and his mind remained elsewhere, only on Sanha’s wellbeing, as he worked to repair their damaged ship. All he wanted was to run back to the medical bay and stand right beside Sanha and never leave.

Unfortunately, he knew that their jobs came first. Their jobs  _ had _ to come before relationships; they were working to help so many people who had been stepped on and trodden on by the Syndicate, and if Minhyuk abandoned his duties for Sanha, then they would lose their fight. People would continue to suffer - the crew, too, might all perish.

Sanha was in the crew.

That was how Minhyuk convinced himself to do his duties on the ship. That was the only way he was able to stay in the engine room, reminding himself that he was working for Sanha’s sake.

He had calmed down slightly when Bin told him, over the intercom, Sanha was fine, but he had instantly raced back to the medical bay upon hearing Sanha had a concussion.

He hadn’t left since then.

“Bin, how bad is his concussion?” Minhyuk asked, standing on his toes to peek over Bin’s shoulder. “Like, is he going to be okay? Will it interfere with his, um, his job or...or his life, or-”

“Like I told you twenty minutes ago,” Bin started, sounding exasperated, “it’s not that bad. When he was talking to me, before he was sleeping, he knew his name and your name and my name. He knew what we were doing out here. He just lost his memories about the attack, I think, but he’s regaining them.” Bin was hooking something else to Sanha’s arm, some sort of IV, and continued. “He has a headache, and he’s tired. That’s...that’s about it, Minhyuk. Nothing has changed in twenty minutes; if anything, it’ll just continue to get better.”

Minhyuk bit down on his lip again and tried moving around Bin. Bin stopped him, an arm coming out to push him back. “Bin, come  _ on _ \- he’s clearly hurt, and what if he loses more memories? What if something really bad happened?”

“Oh my  _ god _ ,” came a new voice, and Minhyuk glanced behind him. In the bed next to Sanha lay Chaeyoung, her leg in a cast and elevated up. She hadn’t said much since Minhyuk entered the medical bay - according to Bin, she had a few different sorts of medication in her system to ease the pain. “He just bumped his  _ head _ . I got my entire  _ leg _ crushed, and you don’t hear me complaining!’

Minhyuk wrinkled his nose at her. “Sanha isn’t complaining,” he pointed out.

“But you are! If you’re so worried about someone who hurt themselves, why don’t you come over here and worry about me!” 

“I’m...I mean, Sanha and I are close- we’re just-”

“Right,” she interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Stop chewing on your lip so much, you’ll  _ bleed _ , and then Bin will have to take care of you. Won’t you, Bin? Will he be confined in here for bleeding?”

Bin glanced at Chaeyoung. He looked amused, unlike Minhyuk, and he said, “Nah, I don’t hospitalize people for stupidity.” The girl snorted, and Bin added, “And you need to go to sleep, Chaeyoung. Rest up to ensure the medicine works properly.”

She buried herself further into her pillow and closed her eyes, though she still said, “I can’t really get much sleep with Minhyuk constantly worrying.”

Bin turned back to Minhyuk and pursed his lips. “She’s right, you know. There’s no reason for you to be in here. You’re just being a hassle.”

“I’m worried about our crewmate! How is worrying a hassle?”

Minhyuk noticed the look in Bin’s eye when he snorted, though. He saw recognition, bright and clear, and he could feel his own cheeks heating up. Bin surely was catching on to Minhyuk’s feelings. He had seen them holding hands before, after all, had seen the way Minhyuk tried to trail after Sanha every second of the day. He always did keep his mouth shut about Minhyuk’s affairs, luckily, and even now, he said nothing to imply he knew of any deeper feelings concerning their relationship.

“Be that as it may,” he stated, “I still can’t work with you standing over me like this. It’s annoying. Can’t you wait outside for, like, five minutes so I can get stuff done?”

Minhyuk hated that idea. What if Sanha woke up within those five minutes? What if his condition changed within those five minutes? What if something went dreadfully wrong within those five minutes? He couldn’t voice any of his thoughts, however, not with Bin staring at him in such a manner. He had to obey, lest he find himself under disciplinary review for ignoring the orders of a commanding officer.

Sometimes, he wished he held a higher rank within the crew.

“ _ Fine _ ,” he snapped, stomping over to the door. He pressed the button for it to open, and he asked, before leaving, “Five minutes, right?”

“Just...wait out there for a bit,” Bin dismissed him, and once Minhyuk stepped aside, the doors closed behind him.

Minhyuk hated to wait. He was an impatient person by nature, and when waiting included leaving Sanha to suffer in the medical bay, Minhyuk just felt antsy and frustrated. He squatted by the door, pulling his wrist up near his face to read his watch.

He could wait five minutes. He  _ would _ wait five minutes, to the dot, and then he could return to Sanha’s side until he was cleared from his bed.

As Minhyuk watched his clock count down time, he wondered just when he had become so emotional over Sanha. He assumed his feelings would continue their gradual development; over time, he was starting to see Sanha as someone more than just a crewmate. He saw him as a friend, as a confidant, and now as someone he wanted to be beside for the rest of his life.

When they held hands back on Atlas, Minhyuk had felt his heart fluttering. The feelings, though, were still soft, still small, still controllable. With Sanha hurt, now all emotion was in full force, rearing to finally reveal themselves.

It took a near-death situation (or, in this case, a simple injury) for his mind to clear up and tell him what he really wanted.

Minhyuk sighed loudly, then shook his wrist. “Come on,” he fussed, as if that would make the time go by faster. “Five minutes, five minutes-”

In any case, he decided he didn’t care if his feelings were known. He didn’t care if Bin knew, or if Chaeyoung knew, or if Sebin knew, or if every single damn crewmember on the ship became aware of his feelings. All he knew was that he really,  _ really _ liked Sanha.

“Five minutes is up!” he called, right on the dot, but when he pressed the button to the medical bay door, he noticed it was locked. “Bin, what the hell?” He pounded on the door and saw Bin, through the glass window, glance up at him.

Bin just grinned deviously.

Minhyuk gave him the middle finger.

Oh, well. If Bin wouldn’t let him in, then Minhyuk refused to move from this spot.

He liked Sanha, and he would always stay as close to Sanha as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	9. Alpha Centauri System

Sanha had requested caramel wedges.

It was sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Minhyuk had only been awake to use the bathroom situated inside of the medical bay, and when he exited, he noticed Sanha rising from sleep and smacking his lips tiredly.

“What’s up?” Minhyuk whispered, keeping his voice down in order to ensure Chaeyoung remained asleep.

Sanha pouted and stared over at Minhyuk with bleary eyes. “Hyung, I’m hungry.”

“Bin just fed you,” Minhyuk responded. He settled back down in his seat, pulling it up close to Sanha’s bed and smiling fondly over at him. “Go back to sleep. We’ll have breakfast in the morning.”

Instead of laying himself back down and closing his eyes, though, Sanha instead sat up, wriggling a bit on his bed and staring at Minhyuk with such a serious expression for someone who was just hungry. “I don’t want to wait until breakfast. I just remembered - I still have those caramel wedges on the ship, don’t I?”

Minhyuk was surprised Sanha had remembered about those. They had picked them up on Hera, which already seemed so long ago. The effects of Sanha’s concussion had worn off, but he was still having difficulty remembering small details of things done in the past few days. Minhyuk had simply assumed he would have forgotten all about the small batch of caramel wedges he had leftover from his time on Hera.

“I...I guess so? Unless you ate them.”

Sanha furrowed his brows in thought, then shook his head. “Nope. I didn’t eat them.”

“How do you know? You’ve forgotten a few things here and there. Maybe you ate them the other night and you just don’t remember.”

The boy let out a small scoff and shook his head once again. “Trust me, Minhyuk, I’d definitely remember if I ate all of my caramel wedges. Those are important to me.”

Minhyuk couldn’t help but roll his eyes, though he hid a smirk the best he could. Sanha’s priorities were certainly in an odd place - still, it was cute, and Minhyuk found Sanha utterly endearing. “Well, that might be a little too sweet for you right now. I think Bin’s wanting to take your diet slow until he’s certain you’re fully recovered. How about, um, we wait until after lunch tomorrow and see what Bin says-”

“I’ll be perfectly fine if I eat them right now!” Sanha whined. “Come on, Minhyuk,  _ please? _ I’m stuck here and I want  _ something _ sweet and yummy. Maybe we can think of it as-as some sort of reward, right? For doing good.”

“Well, Chaeyoung’s been good, too, and she doesn’t get a reward.”

“Minhyuk, come on!” Sanha begged. He reached out and grabbed onto Minhyuk’s arm, starting to pout once more. “I’m wounded and stuck in bed - if I could go get it myself, I would, but my leg is still hurt. Don’t you want me to be happy, Minhyuk?”

He had large doe eyes and plump lips and his cheeks were puffed out. He was  _ cute _ , and Minhyuk’s heart felt like it was beating erratically in his chest. In that moment, he realized he would have to stop at nothing in order to make sure Sanha got exactly what he wanted.

“I do,” he agreed, standing up from his seat. “You stay here and stay quiet. I’ll go get you your caramel wedges.”

Sanha gave a quiet cheer, his face alight with pure excitement. Minhyuk smiled, and without thinking it through, he ruffled Sanha’s hair in affection. He was sure it was a weird gesture, but Sanha didn’t seem to think so. In fact, he just grinned even brighter than before and his face was beginning to flush.

_ Cute, cute, cute _ .

Sanha was too cute, and he had Minhyuk wrapped right around his finger.

Sanha told him the sweets were probably somewhere in his room. He named a few places he might have stored them, but he wasn’t exactly certain. Minhyuk didn’t mind; he just needed to comb through the few possessions they had on the ship, and he was sure he would find them within a few minutes.

What he didn’t expect to find was a small box, hidden underneath Sanha’s bed, of a variety of pictures. Some of them were of Sanha when he was younger, beside people that looked similar to him. They were in a few of the images; an older woman and man, two boys that both also looked older than Sanha, and-

The little kid was Sanha, then. Their features were the same, and they had the same pout and same smile. Minhyuk felt warm inside as he flipped through the images.

Many people didn’t carry physical copies of photographs. It was far easier and safer to store them on hardware, to pull them up at difficult times or for convenience sake. The fact that Sanha printed out so many pictures - it was dedication and love and loyalty.

He was already more endearing than he had been before. Minhyuk hadn’t assumed that would ever be possible.

At the bottom of the stack of photos was one that definitely caught Minhyuk’s attention.

It was a picture of the crew standing in front of the ship, one of the official photos they had to take before going off into space. In this one, they all wore serious expressions - minus Sanha, who held a nervous but excited smile on his face. Though it hadn’t been that long since they joined the crew, it was clear that months of experience had matured them. They looked so  _ young _ in the photo, so unsure about everything. Minhyuk traced the lines of his own face, taking in the loneliness in his gaze and the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t been in a good place when he first joined the crew. He had been angry with the world, friends only with Bin, feeling guilty over a past he could not change.

But now-

Now he could smile more freely, and he could sleep much easier, and he was close to all of the crew. Even the members loyal to the Syndicate were still important to him, and he considered them all to be such close friends.

He couldn’t imagine ever going back to how he  _ used _ to look. He couldn’t imagine a world without any of his friends.

He set the pictures back and took a deep breath before finally checking under Sanha’s pillow.

Of course, the caramel wedges had been there the entire time.

He found, though, as he made his way back to the medical bay, treats in hand, he couldn’t stop smiling. He was so happy with how things were unfolding, and he knew it could only get better from here - especially with Sanha by his side.

 

************************

 

Myungjun had been paying close attention now to Gukheon, and to the rest of his coworkers. He had grown nervous and wary to still be working at the company, especially with Gukheon’s knowledge of what he was talking to Jinwoo about, and he was also confused as to how Gukheon even gathered this information in the first place. He had saved the CTL conversation, but it was all on his system at home.

So he had gone home straight from work to check it out. He had rifled through his computers in frustration before finding a suspicious program, hidden within a few files he had sent himself from work with intentions of doing some of his tasks from home.

He couldn’t determine what the program was at first glance. He had to look at the details and then research a bit of what he found before realizing that Gukheon had managed to hide a recording program within his files. Likely, he had been on his computer at some point - maybe it had been the time Myungjun caught him pulling up documents and information. How did he embed something so secretly? How did Myungjun act so stupidly and not even think to look for anything after Gukheon’s suspicious behavior?

The program seemed to record CTL and send it, live, to a remote location. Myungjun wasn’t sure if it would save these files onto Gukheon’s own computer, or if he had only heard the brief exchange as it happened. He wasn’t sure when Gukheon had tuned in, either, or if he had enough to file some sort of report.

Later that evening, he saw Jinwoo calling him. His watch beeped and he looked down at the message with anticipation racing in his heart.

He couldn’t answer. Not while he was being watched. He had never missed a call from Jinwoo, but he let this one drop before sighing.

The only way to ensure Gukheon heard nothing, it seemed, was to  _ say _ nothing. And if that involved dropping Jinwoo’s calls and refusing to associate with him for the time being, so be it. Myungjun liked Jinwoo far too much to put him in harm’s way. He didn’t care if he got caught, but if Jinwoo was caught, Myungjun felt he would never forgive himself.

He also began deleting all incriminating files. Anything that would put him as a spy, anything that would include Jinwoo, Myungjun began erasing completely from his computer’s hard drive.

It was far more difficult than he had assumed it would be. When he opened his document of his saved conversations, he could recall each and every one of them. He remembered how much joy and love he felt night after night, lonely on Mars with only those conversations to keep him company.

In one conversation, Jinwoo called his hair cute.

In another conversation, Jinwoo had smiled so fondly and murmured, “I want to see you again, Myungjun.”

In Myungjun’s favorite conversation, Jinwoo compared Myungjun to the brightest stars he had seen on his travels, and had spoken at great length of how he wanted to show off those stars to Myungjun one day, the two of them traveling together through the universe.

It was a shame he had to get rid of such lovely, lovely words, but he couldn’t have Gukheon finding out any more information.

He deletes everything, and when he gets to work, with a heavy heart, he deletes many of the files there, too. He searches for anything and everything dealing with the  _ K.C.S. Ambition _ , and when his coworkers are out on break or too busy to notice, he begins to delete them. One by one, he gets rid of their existence and history; the fact that he ever searched on anything regarding the ship is now null and void.

At the end of the day, he breathes a large sigh of relief, especially when Gukheon doesn’t seem to mention anything more about Jinwoo. Instead, Gukheon hums as they clock out, then asks, “Any plans for the evening, Myungjun?”

Myungjun was tense and stiff on the elevator. He shook his head, staring straight ahead. “Just sleep,” he said.

Gukheon laughed and murmured, “Sounds like the best sort of evening plans, to be honest. I think I’ll need that, too. I’m tired after all the work I put in today.”

“Busy day?”

Gukheon nods his head. “Quite busy. You know, I might get a promotion soon, though, so I’m working for that.”

“A promotion sounds good.” It was just stupid small-talk now, and Myungjun begged the elevator to travel faster down. “What sort of promotion?”

“A bit of a raise, more security clearance. It’s not really being discussed, but I’ve heard it comes if we have valuable information for Mr. Lee.” The elevator dings. A few people leave, and it’s just Gukheon and Myungjun alone for the rest of the ride.

Myungjun shuffles his feet. “Sounds neat,” he says.

“It could be. I think Mr. Lee will be  _ quite _ interested to know that all of our files of the  _ KCS Ambition _ have gone missing.” He grins and turns to look over at Myungjun. “Don’t you think?”

Myungjun’s heart won’t stop racing in his chest. The elevator dings again, finally on the bottom floor, and Gukheon leaves, humming a little tune under his breath.

Myungjun, though, is left frozen and fear and reflecting on his stupid, stupid mistakes that will bring an entire crew down to their demise if he doesn’t act fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to go over and read snibnoom's [chapter 9](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/36624915)!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	10. Mars .04

Myungjun knew he had screwed up.

It was obvious that he had made several huge mistakes. He should have used more caution, first and foremost, in his conversations with Jinwoo. He should have thoroughly checked his system to ensure there was no odd programs on it. In this line of work, he should have known better than to trust that things he brought home from work would be free of hacks or viruses. He had been briefed on it time and time again by the Rebellion, in any case, and had assured them, time and time again, that he would _never_ make such silly mistakes.

Now he had to figure out how to cover his tracks.

Gukheon was onto him. He had information pertaining to the conversations Myungjun would hold with Jinwoo. Myungjun wasn’t sure just how many of these conversations he had, or _what_ conversations he had. Surely if he had enough evidence at this point, Myungjun would already be in trouble, wouldn’t he?

He wasn’t sure, but he definitely wasn’t willing to sit idly by as Gukheon uncovered his identity. He had to take charge of the situation. He had to fix things.

Deleting files had done nothing but roused more suspicion, more evidence against him. If he could get those files added back before Gukheon said anything, then it was possible that no one would notice anything. Gukheon would go with a false report, and Myungjun might be safe enough to continue working for the Rebellion.

Jinwoo, too, would be safe if he wasn’t found out to be connected to Myungjun in any way.

Myungjun wasted no time in rushing down the hallway, bypassing other employees and looking straight ahead. He didn’t want to explain himself to anyone. If he looked like he had somewhere to go and something important to do, he knew he would be left alone.

Fortunately, his thoughts were correct. No one at all seemed concerned with him, and so he made it to the door he needed with a loud sigh.

This was a trickier part. The door was only accessible to those with certain codes, and going inside was bound to make the people around him curious. He had gotten the codes a long time ago, from a drunk Syndicate employee at one of those overly fancy parties, and he had only used it to access secret information.

It was where Kyklos stored deleted files. They had such shady dealings sent over communications or computers, and in order to keep things quiet, they would delete this information. Rather than it being wiped, Myungjun learned that it was all just stored elsewhere, in case they needed it again.

Only a few were allowed into the room, and Myungjun had made himself one of those few, though that was unknown to the other employees and authorities at the Syndicate.

He waited around until the hallway was cleared. He pretended as if he was going through something important on the watch he wore around his wrist, but once things had quieted down, he turned and quickly entered the passcode into the door’s system. It blinked a few times, and then as extra precaution it requested another code.

Myungjun had them memorized. He whispered the large amount of numbers to himself as he keyed the information in, remaining careful in case he made any missteps. One wrong number and the entire system would shut down. He couldn’t afford that, not now.

The door opened with the second code, and Myungjun breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped inside. He glanced behind him, biting his lip as he peered out the glass window of the doorway. There should be a way to close it - he had seen it closed multiple times. However, the longer he stood there trying to figure it out, the more confused he became.

In the end, he just sent a quick prayer that no one would think of looking inside, and then he got to work.

He sat down at the closest computer, booting it up and tapping his fingers on the desk impatiently. With all the information that had been accumulated onto this particular system over the years, Myungjun wasn’t surprised at the slow start-up.

“Must be difficult to have so many incriminating documents,” he muttered to himself as he stared at the screen. “Wonder how they sleep at night with all this knowledge.”

The system finally gave him a welcome screen, then asked for another passcode. Myungjun had, once more, memorized the code of another Syndicate official, someone else in intelligence who had given Myungjun plenty of information after a few drinks and some flirtatious words. It was all too easy, and sometimes it made Myungjun sick to his stomach knowing that these men never seemed bothered with their evil acts.

It took him a while to scroll through the different folders. A few had been deleted more recently, and they clogged up the screen at first. Finally, he found the Kyklos Syndicate files he had deleted in his rush to cover his tracks. They were all still intact, which would make his job recovering them far easier than he had anticipated.

 _Are you sure you wish to recover these files?_ the prompt box read. Myungjun clicked yes with little hesitation, then waited as it loaded the files back to the public server, away from the graveyard of horrible, deceitful communications.

Once the files he needed were gone from the computer, Myungjun was ready to log out, but he noticed one of the newer files.

 _Rebellion Leaders - Helen_.

He blinked and stared at the folder with wide eyes.

His parents were part of the rebellion operating on Helen. They had been the leaders of it for a while, operating secretly as they played the part of obedient slaves for the Syndicate mines. He wasn’t aware that the Syndicate had any information about them, though. Or maybe it was a red herring. Maybe it was their investigations into the Rebellion. Nobody had been caught, probably. Besides, there were more leaders than just his parents. Surely it was referring to someone else.

He clicked the folder once, but before he could try and figure things out for himself, he heard knocking at the door.

Myungjun scrambled up from his seat, toppling his chair, and quickly began to close out of the programs before spinning around to see who had caught him.

Peeking in through the glass window was someone Myungjun had never seen before. He was handsome, with pretty eyes, but they were staring into the room in confusion.

Myungjun caught sight of someone else beside the pretty man, and he cursed out loud, a whispered, “shit,” falling forth from his lips when he recognized Lee Dongmin.

Dongmin’s father was relatively high up in the Syndicate security clearance levels. He was wealthy and had a large presence. Hopefully he knew nothing about the Syndicate’s secret doings, but Myungjun wasn’t so sure. In any case, he had just been spotted, and so he made an effort to leave quickly.

Once he opened the door, the taller man asked, “What were you doing in there?”

Myungjun glanced at him, then read his nametag. He had lower security clearance, and he didn’t even work in the intelligence sector. Perhaps he could play this off - as long as Dongmin said nothing, then things would be fine. “Obviously I was doing work,” he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest in an effort to hide his own nametag. His security clearance didn’t grant him access into that room, and so he couldn’t let them see. “What are you doing down here, anyway? Ship inspections don’t take place anywhere _near_ this hallway.”

“I was just showing Dongmin around.” The man gestured over at Dongmin, who’s eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at Myungjun. “Dongmin told me most people wouldn’t be allowed in that room, though.”

Myungjun sighed, trying to appear exasperated. “My clearance allows me to enter, though, so why don’t you mind your own-”

“You’re Myungjun, right?” Dongmin interrupted suddenly. He still looked confused. “You work for intelligence, don’t you?”

“Do you know him?” the pretty man asked.

Dongmin nodded his head. “We met at that party recently. But...but you told me, Myungjun, that you only interact briefly with my dad at work, right?”

Myungjun had told him that, but he wasn’t sure what that sort of information would do to him. He wasn’t sure what Dongmin was trying to imply. He cautiously nodded his head and cleared his throat. “Why?”

“Can I see your nametag, then?” Dongmin asked. “My dad’s told me that _this_ security level is only for Gamma and above, and if you only interact with him briefly, you might be on a lower clearance-”

“I only interact with him briefly because we work in different sectors,” Myungjun fussed. “Christ, Dongmin, stop interrogating me.”

The pretty man standing next to Dongmin raised his eyebrows. “No need to be so defensive,” he murmured. “I think Dongmin is just concerned about the security of this company. You _did_ look a little suspicious, you know, sitting all alone in the dark in that room, and when I knocked on the door, you panicked. We saw you deleting something from that system, too - what were you doing in there?”

“Confidential information,” was Myungjun’s excuse, and, with his arms still protecting his name tag, he turned and began to walk away. His heart was beating quickly and he felt sweat at his temples, but he didn’t allow himself to relax until he was in the elevator again, heading down to the ground level.

Dongmin wasn’t an idiot. He seemed rather smart; the guy with him seemed just as intelligent, too. They were likely to tell someone, perhaps even Lee Wonshik, and Myungjun wasn’t sure what would happen then. He wasn’t sure how much Wonshik knew. He could handle being reprimanded or demoted, but if Gukheon revealed _his_ information at the same time Dongmin did, then he was bound to be found out.

He had to go tell Jinwoo. Jinwoo might know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to go over and read snibnoom's [chapter 10](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/36852696)!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	11. Mars .05

The last time Dongmin had been to the zoo was when he was a young child. He had gone with his father, shortly after his mother passed away, in an effort to cheer the both of them up. The zoo had been exciting and fun. Dongmin had run around, little legs carrying him to each exhibit with interest. His father had feigned joy, but even Dongmin, at such a young age, was aware of how sad his father was.

They hadn’t returned. Dongmin’s father had claimed a few times they ought to return, to see the new exhibits and additions, but there was never any time. Dongmin had been busy with school, and his father had gotten promotions within Kyklos. 

So when Seunghwan came home from work today with two tickets displayed proudly in his hand, Dongmin had smiled widely. “The zoo?” he asked, accepting one of the tickets. “You got us tickets to the zoo?”

Seunghwan nodded proudly. “Employees got a discount!” he exclaimed. “And it’s for the opening of their new aquarium, too! I thought it might be a cute date idea - you’ve mentioned the zoo to me before, remember?”

Dongmin didn’t remember. He knew he talked about a great number of things with Seunghwan, and Seunghwan  _ always _ listened. He offered advice, or else just sat down and allowed Dongmin to ramble. Dongmin had never quite experienced that sort of relationship with anyone at all.

His thoughts fell to Bin, but Dongmin shook them off quickly. He was determined to make  _ this _ relationship work. Seunghwan was kind and thoughtful and always so respectful, and Dongmin refused to ruin things with him.

The aquarium opening was a huge deal. People from all over Mars - from various other planets, even - had come to see what new and exciting creatures were now available. Seunghwan and Dongmin made sure to arrive early in order to beat the crowd, but it was still extremely busy.

Dongmin didn’t mind. It made the zoo more exciting, more alive, and so he happily accepted Seunghwan’s hand as they walked down the path to see the animals on display.

Seunghwan admitted, as they came upon the first spot on the map, that he had never been to the zoo before. 

“Really?” Dongmin gawked at him. “Even as a kid?”

Seunghwan smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s very expensive,” he pointed out. “Which is completely understandable. They do have to bring animals from Earth and somehow keep them alive on such a different environment.”

Dongmin supposed that was true. There was no native animal or plant life on Mars, nor any other planet. They had been bare of all life until humans made the trek from Earth further out into space. According to reports, the animal life should be flourishing just fine on Earth, though only a select few were allowed to send specimen over to Mars. Earth was a zone no one was supposed to access, so the cost of this zoo was steep in order to cover all expenses of transportation and upkeep of such unique animals.

“I’m glad, then, that your first time is with me,” Dongmin said to him.

Seunghwan just grinned, but his expression changed into one of awe as they finally spotted a creature from Earth. “Which one is this?” Seunghwan asked, pulling Dongmin’s arm.

Dongmin read the sign in front and carefully pronounced the words. “Alligator,” he said. “It’s a type of animal called a reptile, and they eat a lot of other types of animals.”

“Whoa!” Seunghwan regarded it with such wonder and interest; Dongmin’s eye ought to be drawn to the weird creature in front of him, but instead he couldn’t stop staring at Seunghwan.

He was so handsome. He was so sweet. He was the perfect boyfriend, the other half Dongmin had longed for his entire life, and Dongmin was so proud that Seunghwan had chosen  _ him _ . 

“This thing is huge. And terrifying. God, I’m glad these aren’t around here on Mars.”

“It’s a good thing they only chose animals that  _ won’t _ murder us to spread on Mars, isn’t it?”

Seunghwan nodded, and then hooked his arm with Dongmin’s and smiled over at him. “If there were murderous animals on Mars, I’d protect you, though.”

Dongmin blushed, his cheeks turning warm and pink, and then tried to brush off his sudden embarrassment with laughter. “You’re silly, Seunghwan.”

“It’s true! I’d fight this alligator in an instant to protect you!”

Dongmin couldn’t help but lean over and press a swift kiss to Seunghwan’s cheek. He was lucky, so incredibly lucky, to have someone like Seunghwan by his side.

They saw a variety of other animals that lived in similar habitats. Seunghwan was impressed by each and every one; turtles and big, wild cats and giant pink birds all held his interest.

The elephant exhibit was Dongmin’s favorite, and Seunghwan was excited when they first caught sight of one of the giant mammals. “I read all about elephants,” Seunghwan said, “and I’ve watched programs about elephants, but I’ve never thought I would see one in person! It’s probably cooler than the giraffe.”

“Really? You  _ loved _ the giraffe,” Dongmin teased, nudging his shoulder.

“Yes, but the elephant has horns on its mouth! And a huge nose!”

Seunghwan was right; the elephant was more impressive, all in all. Dongmin wondered how humans on Earth used to live with elephants and giraffes and alligators all roaming free and wild. He could only imagine waking up and seeing such creatures in his backyard.

He was glad they were on Mars now.

They sat down near the monkey exhibit for lunch. Seunghwan paid, presenting the meal with flourish to Dongmin, who laughed at his dramatic flair. The monkeys were fun, too, though Dongmin, once more, kept looking over at Seunghwan. 

Seunghwan had such beautiful eyes. Dongmin was certain he could get lost in them if only he stared for long enough. He wouldn’t mind all that much, either; Seunghwan was simply breathtaking.

His boyfriend glanced at him and smirked. “What?” he asked.

“Oh. Nothing.” Dongmin snapped his gaze back to the monkeys and chewed on his sandwich. “These things are ugly.”

“But weren’t these the start of the human race?” Seunghwan asked. “Imagine that, Dongmin. Imagine being a  _ monkey _ . No tall buildings or warm showers. I doubt monkeys can show love on such an emotional level, either. They might have their mates, but do you think they experience such joy in their lives?”

Dongmin regarded the monkeys with interest. He had always assumed animals were far below humans in terms of emotional capacity and thought, but watching the monkeys interact was a bit different. They carried their babies and they played around and groomed each other.

“I don’t know,” Dongmin muttered. He hummed and sat back in his seat, shaded underneath a tall umbrella, and said, “They look really close, don’t they? They look like they know how to develop relationships like humans.”

“Well, they can’t  _ kiss _ ,” Seunghwan accused, “and they can’t hug and they can’t...I don’t know, I don’t think they understand what love  _ is _ .”

Perhaps they didn’t. Dongmin wasn’t sure of how much monkeys knew, and he wasn’t about to go find out. He thought, though, that Seunghwan might have a point, and so he added, “They don’t know the fun of going on dates, in any case.”

When he glanced back at Seunghwan his boyfriend was smiling again.

Once they were full - and tired of watching the monkeys - Seunghwan began to lead Dongmin down the path to the aquarium. “This is the main event!” he exclaimed, tugging lightly on Dongmin’s arm. “This is the event we came here for!”

There had never been an aquarium on Mars. There were fish out and about in various parts of the planet, fish brought over from places around Earth, but never before had a full-sized aquarium been built. This aquarium housed thousands of fish, according to the brochure Dongmin held, and it boasted to have species not previously known to mankind.

“Supposedly, even the people who lived on Earth weren’t aware of some of these fish,” Seunghwan explained to him, voice bright with intrigue. “They’ve only been found more recently! They lived  _ way  _ down in the ocean, where it was too difficult to go before due to pressure. How cool is this, Dongmin? We’re going to see fish that no one’s known about!”

Seunghwan’s excitement was contagious. Dongmin found himself shuffling his feet as they waited in the long line, standing on his tip-toes every so often in an effort to get a quick peek at the large building ahead of them.

“It’s got sharks, too,” he stated, “and dolphins and even a giant whale!”

He had read about a few of the fish before, but only smaller fish were available out and about on Mars to look at. This was the experience of a lifetime (and it only took an hour to get inside).

Once they were in the building, Dongmin was met with a soft, blue light that emitted from the tanks on either side of them. Various placards were scattered about in an effort to describe all of the different types of fish. Some of the fish were dark and dreary looking, a little more common in places around Mars - trout was new, as was catfish, but Dongmin found himself recognizing a few names.

Seunghwan found the octopus exhibit charming. He laughed at the weirdly-shaped fish and asked Dongmin many questions that neither of them would know the answer to.

They found killer whale midway through the exhibit. Seunghwan thought they were cute; Dongmin reminded him of their name. “I don’t think they’d be any safer than an alligator,” Dongmin pointed out. “Probably worse, with how big they are.”

“But they look cuddly! They look like the pandas we saw.”

Dongmin tilted his head and stared at the large fish. “Perhaps. A little bit. Just in color, honestly, but I bet this thing is way worse than a panda.”

He noticed that Seunghwan found many of the animals cute. Even the ugliest fish, the ones found in the depths of the ocean, the ones never before seen by humans, were  _ cute _ to him. There was some sort of terrifying eel-like creature, transparent things that lit up, and fish with eyes inside of its body. Dongmin shivered at the thought of any of these weird things being native to his home - he freaked himself out by wondering why anyone would visit an ocean where such awful fish lurked. Seunghwan, however, defended all of them.

“They can’t help that they’re ugly,” he said as they exited the aquarium. “It’s the way they were born!”

Dongmin was in complete disagreement with Seunghwan. Years of evolution, he argued, ought to change fish into beautiful creatures, like dolphins and killer whales, but instead they remained at the bottom of oceans and developed into disgusting, revolting things.

Seunghwan scoffed at him, then pecked his cheek. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about oceans here, do we?”

They didn’t, but even with the awful creatures, Dongmin decided he wouldn’t mind so much as long as he had Seunghwan by his side. While Seunghwan didn’t strike him as the exploring type, Dongmin knew they would still have fun together.

Bin liked to explore, though.

Dongmin blinked in shock - he had forgotten all about Bin, for  _ once _ in the past few weeks. Bin had always been on the forefront of his mind, always a lingering reminder of their failed relationship, but for this date, he hadn’t had a single thought about Bin.

It was refreshing. It was weird.

“You okay, Dongmin?” Seunghwan asked him, looking over at his expression with curiosity. 

Dongmin nodded quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured, and as if to drive his point home, he kissed Seunghwan gently, capturing his lips with nothing but romantic intentions.

His mind, unfortunately, stayed only on Bin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to go over and read snibnoom's [chapter 11](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/37024734)!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	12. Alpha Centauri System .02

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please make sure to read snibnoom's [chapter 12](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/37214999) first!

Minhyuk had noticed Bin’s sudden change of mood.

He tried to ignore it at first. It wasn’t as if they should put all focus on how one member was feeling. Besides, Minhyuk sucked at talking through emotions and feelings. That was far more in Jinwoo’s forte. Since Jinwoo was first in command and Bin was second in command, _Jinwoo_ ought to be the one comforting Bin through whatever ailment it was he was suffering.

Minhyuk was determined to ignore it in order to simply focus on the task at hand. However, Bin was still his friend, and seeing his friend suffering in such a way was a little too depressing. Minhyuk had to intervene.

He sat down at the breakfast table early that morning, watching as Bin slowly poked at the food in front of him.

“It’s gross, isn’t it?” was what Minhyuk chose to start with. Bin glanced up at him, eyes narrowed in confusion, and Minhyuk continued, “Luckily, next stop is coming up soon. Maybe we can get some fresh food or something there before we have to leave.” He glanced down at his own food in distaste. It wasn’t the best food in the world - obviously it wouldn’t be, having to be specially prepared to survive long voyages through space - but at least it was something. On Helen, there was very little food to spare. Minhyuk remembered going to Mars finally, his first time away from the dreariness of Helen. He remembered being fed a large meal with tons of variety. He remembered feeling sick to his stomach from the richness of it all. It had taken a while for him to become acquainted with the food, and now all he wanted was to go back to Mars for some lovely dishes that no other planet could ever boast having.

“The food on Mars is really good,” Minhyuk mumbled, his thoughts making their way into his conversation. It must have been the wrong thing to say, however, for Bin furrowed his eyebrows and glared down at his food. “Uh-oh,” Minhyuk said. “Is...is it _not_ really good?”

Bin shrugged his shoulders. “It’s fine.”

“Well, you looked pissed when I brought it up.”

“It’s not...not the food.”

Minhyuk stared at his friend, then sighed knowingly. He had assumed it was Dongmin all along; after seeing Bin standing alone in a darkened CTL room, he figured it was Dongmin he had spoken with. He wondered what had transpired between them. He knew they hadn’t been speaking for a while; or, at least, Bin had stopped their constant calls for some reason or another. They must have picked it back up, and then something _else_ probably went wrong.

“Dongmin, then?” Minhyuk guessed. Bin tensed and Minhyuk sighed heavily. “What happened?”

“It’s none of your business, Minhyuk.”

“Fine.” Minhyuk grabbed his food and stood from his place. “I’ll go eat with Sanha. He’s better company than you are, anyway.”

Before he could go anywhere, Bin stopped him, reaching out to grab him by the arm. “Wait!” Bin snapped. “Just...look, it’s...hard to talk about. I...I really don’t know what-what happened between us, or _why_ it happened, I’m...I’m confused right now.”

He needed someone to talk to, and even if he was going to be a bit insulting, Minhyuk decided to listen. That’s what friends were for, after all. They listened to each other and understood each other.

He sat back down at his seat and began to eat his food. “What happened, then?”

Bin’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, a nervous gesture, and he stammered, “I-I mean, he forgave me for...for being a bit of a dick to him earlier on. That was nice of him. And things were going fine after that. We were talking and...and things were okay.”

“Did you tell him about his dad?”

Bin shook his head. “I can’t. I really can’t, not right now. I doubt he’d believe me, anyway.”

He’d probably find out soon enough. The Rebellion wouldn’t sit on this information. It would go public, and then Dongmin would either side with his father, with the Syndicate, or else choose to stay alongside Bin and the rest of the Rebellion. It was unlikely he would be neutral; he had people he loved on both sides.

“So you didn’t tell him...what else would’ve happened between you two, if you made up and everything?”

Minhyuk was always curious with the relationships of the others on the ship. Even if he wouldn’t pursue love for himself, even if he only ever flirted with Sanha and chose not to take things further, he liked learning about the others’ and their relationships.

It gave him an idea of what _not_ to do if he was ever in a position like that.

“As...as we were talking, um, someone else came into the room. Another guy. And he called Dongmin _babe_.”

Minhyuk’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected that. Bin and Dongmin always seemed so in love, based on the brief conversations he had heard during his eavesdropping sessions, and also based on the way Bin’s eyes lit up when Dongmin’s name was mentioned.

“He moved into employee housing, too,” Bin continued. “Away from his dad. Like, he and this...this guy live together now, and I _know_ they moved in together so they could have this-this relationship.”

“Maybe they’re not serious,” Minhyuk pointed out.

“If they weren’t serious, he wouldn’t have moved. And if they weren’t serious, he wouldn’t have smiled when I asked if this asshole made him happy. And if they weren’t serious-”

“I get it,” Minhyuk interrupted, but Bin was not deterred.

“-he wouldn’t have called me his _friend_.”

Minhyuk grimaced. “Ouch,” he mumbled, and Bin nodded sadly.

“He said...he said he misses his _friend_ , in reference to me. I didn’t ever expect to-to be downgraded so fast. I didn’t expect _this_. I know I was a dick, but...he found someone else instantly and now they’re together and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Minhyuk tried searching his brain for any sort of advice, but he couldn’t think of anything. He had never been in a relationship; the only relationships he had seen were the few on the ship, and the failed marriage between his parents. He knew nothing about love.

“Well, if he’s happy…” he started, but the look on Bin’s face pained him. He had known Bin long enough to know that the boy was hardly ever hopeless or desperate; now, though, the emotions were clear. He swallowed, then added, “But maybe it’s just a rebound.”

“A rebound?”

“Yeah!” Minhyuk nodded. He didn’t know if he believed Dongmin would go for a rebound and move in with said rebound, but he would continue to talk about it, because perhaps it would make Bin happier. “He was just upset because you...were a jerk to him earlier.” He wasn’t sure what transpired between them the last time they spoke, and he wouldn’t ask. “So he ran into the arms of some other guy who made him happy.”

Bin looked intrigued. “It’s...possible.”

“It’s totally possible. And _likely_. I think when we go back to Mars next week, you should run to Dongmin. Sweep him off his feet. Remind him why you two were dating in the first place.”

“I wouldn’t call it _dating_ -”

“Whatever.” Minhyuk rolled his eyes. “Just don’t give him up, Bin. You’re in love with him, I know you are, and don’t you think you deserve happiness?”

Bin seemed a bit more determined after Minhyuk’s short pep talk. He sat up straighter and nodded his head, exclaiming, “I _do!_ And we’ve been through so much already - I really do deserve him, Minhyuk!”

“Yeah! And not this _rebound_ \- he doesn’t deserve Dongmin in the slightest.”

“Right!”

“So when we get to Mars, you go after Dongmin again, got it?”

Bin was smiling now, and he pounded a fist on the table and declared, “I’ll make him fall for me again!”

Bin didn’t thank him for his help, nor did Minhyuk ask for gratitude. There was a mutual understanding between them that they needn’t get so sappy and emotional. There would be plenty of time for that later, after all.

Once the information about Dongmin’s father was out in the open, once Myungjun was reunited with them again, and once Minhyuk’s own dirty, little secret was exposed.

There would be time for emotions later. For now, Minhyuk chose to bask away in the pleasant atmosphere and pretend things weren’t just going to go downhill from here on out.

 

************************

 

He had nothing left that reminded him of Jinwoo.

From his home devices, he wiped every last communication. Every message sent, every transmission received, even the images he would pull up in times of immense sorrow and fear, were all deleted. He hated watching them go. He tried to hold onto them for as long as possible, tried to watch the few recordings he had left. He ran his finger over pictures, both official images and the ones from his own personal camera.

In just a few short hours, Jinwoo was erased from Myungjun’s life.

He gave a shuddering breath as he shut down his computer and turned off the screen. He wasn’t sure if Dongmin was going to tell. He wasn’t sure if Gukheon already _had_. All he knew was that he was in trouble, either way, and he certainly wasn’t sure what to do next. Should he continue uncovering the Syndicate’s shady doings? Should he just lay low for a while and wait for things to blow over? Or should he try his best to escape before anything escalated beyond control?

Part of him wanted to contact the Rebellion, but he had been through the training with them. He knew exactly what they would say.

It would be better to end his own life than it would be to reveal any information.

He had promised that, in a time of trouble or if he should be discovered, he would go to the grave with his secrets. It was just far easier said than done, unfortunately. He still had loose ends he needed to see through. His poor parents were still stuck on Helen, cramped in their tiny apartment with a lack of good food and fresh water, forced to work ridiculous hours in exchange for nothing, mistreated and forgotten by the rest of society throughout space. He needed to find them and save them before he could ever die.

There was also the matter of Jinwoo. Myungjun swallowed thickly as he thought of the man he loved off in space. He might be scrutinized, too, for Myungjun’s own careless deeds. Wouldn’t it be better to stay alive in order to ensure Jinwoo was fine?

So he couldn’t die; he _wouldn’t_ die. Not yet, not when so many people depended on him.

As he sat in his darkened room, he heard his watch beep. So used to Jinwoo calling, he glanced down at it with a hammering heart.

His heart hammered for other reasons when he saw the name.

 _Director Lee_.

It was Lee Wonshik. Why would Wonshik be calling him?

Unless…

He took a deep breath before pressing a button to answer the call. “Hello, sir?” he greeted.

“Hello, Myungjun,” Wonshik said on the other end.

Myungjun squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Wonshik shouldn’t know his name. There was no reason for him to. They were in different sectors. Myungjun only knew him and kept his number for professional reasons. He had the names of all the directors; working in Intelligence required him to know the superiors around Kyklos Syndicate.

 _They_ just shouldn’t know the name of an individual employee in a different sector.

“Hi,” he responded, praying his voice wasn’t too shaky.

“Myungjun, there are...things we need to discuss,” Wonshik continued, “so I’d like it if you could be at my office right away.”

Myungjun felt panicked. “I’m...off today, sir, and-”

“I hope you understand that this is not a request or a suggestion. It’s a demand.”

Myungjun hesitated, then asked, “If I don’t?”

Wonshik’s reply to that was, “You’d do well to come to my office in half an hour.”

Wonshik ended the call after that, leaving Myungjun alone in his room as his stress and panic and anxiety slowly rose, catching in his throat as he struggled not to cry.

He had been found out. He knew it. And if he didn’t act fast, the Rebellion would be done for because of his careless, stupid mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	13. Mars .06

Wonshik stared at him.

Myungjun stared right back.

He wasn’t sure if he ought to speak first. He had simply been called into the room, and for the next three minutes, he experienced nothing but a weird, awkward silence. Occasionally, Wonshik would rifle through some papers or jot something down, but otherwise, it was a quiet staring contest.

Wonshik was trying to intimidate him, Myungjun knew that much.

“So,” Wonshik finally murmured, eyes turning back down to a sheet in front of him. “Myungjun, please take a seat.”

Myungjun wet his lips before nodding his head and carefully sitting in the chair across Wonshik’s desk. Part of him wanted to argue or reject the offer to sit, but doing so would put him in an unfavorable position, likely. If he wanted to appear innocent, he had to do his best to follow all instructions.

“Do you know why I’ve called you in today, Myungjun?” Wonshik asked, folding his arms on the desk and returning to his odd staring.

Myungjun steeled himself before shaking his head. “No, sir,” he responded, doing his best to look confused. 

Wonshik sighed and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Well, I’ve gotten reports about you from a fellow coworker. According to him, you’ve been communicating frequently with Captain Park Jinwoo of the K.C.S. Ambition. Is this information correct?”

Myungjun wasn’t sure how to answer that question. He was communicating, and he was certain that Wonshik had evidence, but if he confirmed it, would Jinwoo be in trouble?

In his hesitation, Wonshik held up a few papers. “You have also kept files and various images on hand about Captain Park Jinwoo. Seeing as how Captain Park works under me, you can see how I might be concerned, right?”

“No, sir,” Myungjun replied, clenching his fists by his side. He would take his chances disagreeing. He would test his limits. He wasn’t sure how much Wonshik knew, and if they already had damning evidence against him, it wasn’t as if he would lose anything by being difficult. “It’s not against any rules to contact a captain of a ship.”

“It  _ is _ against the rules, however, to use your knowledge of the company and pass it over to the enemy,” Wonshik snapped.

Myungjun raised his eyebrows. “Enemy?” Was Wonshik calling Jinwoo the enemy? Had they already guessed that Jinwoo was part of the Rebellion?

This was bad. Myungjun shifted in his seat, then stammered out, “I-I don’t...I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

“I also have evidence of a CTL conversation where you willingly gave out information on Cho Minsoo - you aren’t even supposed to  _ know _ about Cho Minsoo. I can only assume the person on the other end of that conversation was Captain Park-”

“It wasn’t him!” Myungjun exclaimed, panicked. He couldn’t get Jinwoo in trouble. He’d rather die before getting Jinwoo in trouble. 

“So you admit to this, then?” Wonshik sat up straighter in his seat. “You admit to giving out information of Cho Minsoo?”

He hadn’t realized he was played. He hadn’t realized it would be so easy to spill his secrets. Myungjun felt fear grip his heart and he stayed silent again.

“I just can only  _ assume _ it was Park Jinwoo-”

“It wasn’t him,” Myungjun reiterated. If his game was up, he would go down alone. He would never drag Jinwoo with him.

“Then  _ why _ were you contacting Jinwoo at times when you needn’t be contacting him?” Wonshik demanded. “Out of all the other cargo ship captains, why  _ Jinwoo? _ ”

If he was already damned for telling the truth, perhaps he could fix part of this with another truth. He swallowed thickly, then responded, “I...love Park Jinwoo.”

Wonshik blinked. “Excuse me?”

Myungjun repeated himself, louder, “I love Jinwoo. I...I love him. I fell in love with him when he was training, an-and I...love him. I talk to him as much as I can. All those calls...were because I love him.”

Wonshik glanced down at his sheet again, tapping his finger on the desk. Myungjun knew he couldn’t refute that statement. If he had no evidence of any of the CTL recordings, other than Gukheon’s word, then he was stuck.

“Well, what of the files you deleted from the mainframe computers?” he asked. “And your knowledge of things you shouldn’t know? And I also have report from someone who recognized you that you were in a room you have  _ no _ access to, changing up files you also should have  _ no _ access to.”

Once more, Myungjun decided to fall silent. He hadn’t thought of a good lie to explain himself there. He honestly  _ had _ no good lie. He was noticed by Dongmin, and it looked like Dongmin had gone and spilled everything to his father. Dongmin had unknowingly ruined him.

“You’re from Helen, aren’t you?” Wonshik murmured.

Myungjun tensed.

“From your report, it seems you played the part of a loyal Kyklos member quite well. You even went as far to turn in your neighbors if they played a part in the rebellion. Not very noble of you, Myungjun, is it?”

Myungjun felt hatred fill his heart and he glared over at Wonshik. “You don’t know shit,” he spat, losing control of his calm demeanor. “You and your son sit here in your cushy jobs and you don’t know  _ shit _ about what Hell is like. I do. I lived in that Hell that you and all of the other big Kyklos members established. You  _ know _ about the enslavement of innocent people. You  _ know _ how hard they work, how hazardous their jobs are, how little food and water and shelter they receive in return. They’re treated like animals, and yet you don’t care.”

“In order to provide good to the billions of other people out in the universe, we have to make sacrifices as well,” Wonshik said, seemingly unbothered by Myungjun’s words. “Unfortunately, it does mean establishing slave planets here and there. They’re small, though, merely useless moons, and so we only enslave a small population. The more important thing here, Myungjun, is a question, though: who did you tell?” He leaned forward. “Who did you tell about the slave planets?”

Myungjun’s lips tightened and he turned his glare down toward his lap. He was nearly shaking with rage, fear replaced by pure and utter hatred for this man in front of him.

“Park Jinwoo?” Wonshik guessed.

“I told you, I didn’t tell him anything!” Myungjun exclaimed. “I love him, so why the hell would I put him in harm’s way?”

“Then  _ who? _ I know you told.”

Myungjun was used to making sacrifices. In order to join the Syndicate in the first place, he sacrificed a few of his neighbors, gaining favor with the Syndicate workers in the process. It was dreadful and awful, but it was something he had to do for the betterment of all those others enslaved within the Syndicate.

He knew now, too, he would have to make a sacrifice in order to save the man he loved.

“It’s a man who speaks German,” he blurted out. “Kilian Baumbach. He’s on the Dione Station. He works to uncover Syndicate wrongdoings with...with the Rebellion.”

Instantly, Wonshik was jotting down the name, repeating it on his own tongue. Myungjun felt ill. He hadn’t sacrificed anyone he liked in a long time; Kilian was a fine person, kind and helpful, but Myungjun would rather it be Kilian than Jinwoo who faced the wrath of the Syndicate.

“So you, too, work for the Rebellion?” Wonshik questioned. When Myungjun refused to answer, he sighed loudly. “As I suspected.”

Even if he was going to go down, he was happy that Jinwoo, at least, would remain fine. Even if a terrible fate would ruin his future life, at least Jinwoo was safe.

Wonshik stood from his seat and pressed a button on his watch. He spoke into it, “Come inside.”

Myungjun also stood just as two security officers walked in, obedient and professional. They glanced at Wonshik, who gestured at Myungjun, and then they grabbed onto Myungjun’s arms.

“Let me go!” Myungjun exclaimed, trying to pull away. Their grip was strong, and he floundered in their grasp for a few seconds before he stilled, taking a deep breath and racking his brain on what he could do to appease the situation.

“Take him to the Cancri System,” Wonshik ordered the two men. “Drop him off on one of the planets there. It’s far enough away, isn’t it, that he shouldn't come crawling back.”

One of the men frowned. He tugged on Myungjun’s arm, twisting it lightly, and Myungjun grit his teeth down in pain. “It’s  _ too _ far,” he argued. “It will take too long to get there. Isn’t there somewhere closer?”

“Myungjun knows too many people, it seems,” Wonshik responded. He smiled kindly, despite his current actions, and said, “Treat him as a sort of disposable cargo. Try your best to get him to the Cancri System, but if he becomes destroyed on the way, I don’t think anyone will complain.”

Myungjun’s stomach lurched to his throat. He pulled again, but the way his arms were twisted meant he just ended up bringing more pain to himself. “You  _ asshole! _ ” he screeched at Wonshik. “I’ll  _ kill _ you! I’ll murder these two, and I’ll come back and kill  _ you! _ ”

Wonshik never lost his smile. He didn’t even acknowledge Myungjun. Instead, he waved his hand, dismissing the two security officers, who began to drag Myungjun out of the room.

Even if he were to die, Myungjun decided that he would not die quietly. He wanted to be as loud and annoying as possible. He would cause as much chaos within the Syndicate as he could in a last-ditch effort to expose them for the monsters they truly were. So as he was taken away, he screamed and kicked his legs and made a spectacle of himself. A few people poked their heads out of doors, trying to see what the commotion was. Myungjun cried out to them, yelling, “Help me! They’re going to kill me!”

The people just looked confused, but at least they would be asking questions. This wasn’t likely to die down anytime soon. Myungjun hoped that the Syndicate would face an onslaught of concerns and inquiries regarding this subject.

They rounded a corner, and one of the men punched him suddenly. There was no warning, and Myungjun flailed in their grip like a limp ragdoll. His head spun for a few seconds as he tried to get a sense of his surroundings again, and his cheek stung from the attack.

“Shut up,” one of the security officers snapped. “No matter how loud you scream, no one’s going to rescue you. Just stop.”

Myungjun’s response was to spit in his face.

This time, instead of punching, he wrapped his hand around Myungjun’s mouth, effectively silencing him. He squeezed at his jaw tightly, and Myungjun knew his fingers were bound to leave bruises.

“Can we just kill him here?” the other security officer asked. “It will cause less suspicion than if we drag him through the entire building, screaming all the while.”

Myungjun’s heart raced. He thought he might have at least a  _ bit _ of time to prepare for some sort of escape, but if they were going to kill him in a few seconds, he had to hurry.

He bit down on the hand covering his mouth, teeth tearing and ripping into skin. The security officer howled, pushing Myungjun back and snatching his hand away. It was bleeding; Myungjun could taste iron in on his tongue. He wanted to spit it out, but then he realized that he was freed.

He hardly had time to spare. He had to act  _ now _ .

Myungjun scurried around the corner, racing down the hall with all his might. He heard the security officers yelling after him, but he paid them no mind. He found an exit staircase, and he burst through quickly, taking stairs two at a time in an effort to put some distance between himself and the two men chasing him.

If he continued going down, though, they were likely to catch up. He wouldn’t truly get a break unless he suddenly switched his direction and confused the both of them.

At the end of the next flight of stairs was a door, and Myungjun wasted no time in rushing through that one. He glanced around as he ran down the hallway - he was on floor twenty-seven. As long as he could get down to the lobby before anyone was contacted, he might be able to escape without anymore issues.

The elevators were up ahead and Myungjun pushed on the call button a few times, finger mashing it over and over again. He kept glancing behind him, scared the officers might have caught up to him, but as he stepped onto the elevator, the coast seemed clear.

It wasn’t until the elevator was closing that he caught sight of them again, rushing forward in an attempt to stop him. They were too late, fortunately, and Myungjun’s elevator began its quick descent to the lobby. 

It stopped once or twice, letting people on and off, but Myungjun wasn’t overly concerned. The elevators were fast enough that it was unlikely the officers would catch up to him.

Finally,  _ finally _ , the lobby was in sight. Myungjun took a few deep breaths before he stepped out with the crowd of other people leaving for the day. No one seemed to be looking for him. No one seemed to be trying to stop him. It gave him the chance to rush outside, pushing past more people, and down the sidewalk. 

He knew there were buses nearby. He would hop on one of those and he would…

Well, where would he go? Obviously, he couldn’t return home again. If he went to the ship port, it was likely that authority would be notified at that time and he would simply be caught.

If Jinwoo were here, he would have the answers.

_ Jinwoo _ would have answers.  _ Jinwoo _ could save him.

Myungjun glanced down at his watch as he walked, quickly finding Jinwoo’s ID before entering a message.

Compromised. Jinwoo would know what it meant, especially after Myungjun had already told him that he was being watched. Hopefully, Jinwoo could come and rescue him.

He was suddenly struck with an idea, and he finished the message with,  _ Remember the bench? _

There had been that one bench in the open market where he and Jinwoo would grab lunch. There they would sit, chewing on food and discussing anything and everything. Jinwoo would laugh a lot, and Myungjun would fall in love every single day. Jinwoo would know what  _ that _ meant, too, and if Myungjun could get to that bench safe and sound, he could then figure out some sort of plan to meet Jinwoo.

First, though, he had to make sure he wouldn’t be followed. He had to make sure he wouldn’t be found. And that meant to destroy his watch.

While he wanted to keep it to ensure Jinwoo would receive his message, it was too dangerous. They could pinpoint his exact location via GPS within his watch. If he was found, then Jinwoo would also be found.

He took it off and said a quick prayer to the heavens, asking them to ensure Jinwoo got his message.

Then, he tossed it under his foot and crushed it swiftly before hurrying onto the bus that had just pulled up.

He slumped over in his seat, hiding his face from both other passengers on the bus and anyone who might be just outside the bus, and he continued to pray that Jinwoo would find him and he would be safe and sound within a few days.

He just had to figure out how to  _ survive _ these next few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please make sure to read snibnoom's chapter 13 next!!!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	14. Mars .07

Dongmin had heard the whispered rumors all around the Kyklos headquarters when he went in for his interview. He waited in a room, going over notes and words to say, and heard the receptionist speaking to a coworker: “He really had to be dragged from Director Lee’s office?”

The girl speaking to the receptionist nodded her head. “Apparently, he was screaming the whole time, too. Something about how Director Lee is a murderer.”

Dongmin’s stomach churned. He glanced up to ask if they meant Director of Cargo and Transportation, but he figured it would be rather weird to impede on someone else’s discussion. Besides, he couldn’t think of any other directors within the Kyklos headquarters with the surname of  _ Lee _ . His father was the only one.

Who would his father fire, though? Who would his father fire that had enough insanity to accuse his father of  _ murder? _ Dongmin frowned. His father was nothing but kind and understanding. It must have been an extremely disgruntled employee to be driven to such measures.

Something, however, just didn’t seem right about the entire situation. Dongmin wanted to dismiss it as some sort of normal case of a stupid worker with anger issues, but as the receptionist kept talking, Dongmin’s mind felt muddled.

“He was screaming, too, about how Kyklos is evil and he’ll kill Director Lee. Just a bunch of nonsense. My friend up near Director Lee’s office said he was crazy.”

“Someone I know told me that it wasn’t even a worker  _ in _ Cargo and Transportation. Someone recognized his badge and security clearance as an Intelligence employee,” the receptionist said, trying to keep his voice down.

Dongmin stared down at the floor, not wanting to seem like he was listening into the conversation. However, he suddenly realized that the man he and Seunghwan had seen, the man who was in a room with higher security clearance deleting files, the man he and Seunghwan had told his father about, was an Intelligence employee.

Myungjun was his name, wasn’t it?

He didn’t want to ask these people if Myungjun was the crazy employee who was fired. That would be far too intrusive. Besides, they might not know the name. They only seemed to be familiar with the rumors spread by their friends.

Would Seunghwan know, perhaps? Or maybe even Dongmin’s father, who supposedly fired the man in the first place. He would have to ask them.

For the moment, though, his name was called, and he hurried from his seat to greet the hiring manager, bowing slightly and thanking him for his time. He tried his best to push Myungjun’s possible firing out of his mind in order to focus solely on the matter at hand.

Seunghwan was there to greet him afterwards. His boyfriend wore a huge smile and asked, “How did it go, Dongmin? Did you ace the interview? I know you did, you’re  _ brilliant! _ ”

Dongmin grinned, a little wary, and kissed Seunghwan on the cheek when he was certain no one else was nearby to see it. “I think I did fine,” he replied. “It wasn’t too difficult - I did as you told me.” After all, Seunghwan had gone through the interviews himself, so he would be most aware of what they were like.

Seunghwan looked proud of him and began to walk him out of the building. “I’m so excited for us to work together!” he exclaimed. “I hope we’ll have the same hours. Wouldn’t that be so nice, leaving the house together every morning, coming home together every night, and spending all that time in between  _ working _ together.”

“Well, from what you said, a lot of it is solo work. Inspections only need one or two people.” Dongmin really did like Seunghwan, but he wasn’t thinking so much on how this would possibly strengthen their relationship. Instead, he thought of Myungjun, and he finally asked, “Did you hear about the Intelligence worker who was fired?”

Seunghwan glanced at Dongmin then nodded shortly. 

“Was...was that Myungjun?”

“Ah.” Seunghwan swallowed. “I, um, I’m pretty sure it was. I feel bad - I hadn’t meant for him to get fired. But he  _ was _ doing something wrong. He shouldn’t have been messing around in the systems and deleting files, right? So it’s his fault, regardless. We might’ve just saved the company some headache by making sure he was punished for his actions.” Seunghwan sighed. “Still...the way he went out, I heard, was loud. He went crazy. I feel partially responsible for that.”

Dongmin couldn’t believe that he had gotten someone fired. He had  _ liked _ Myungjun, too, when they met at the party. Myungjun seemed interesting. He was different, in any case, and he couldn’t help but feel just as guilty as Seunghwan probably was.

Still, something else bugged him, and he asked, “Is it true that my father fired him?”

“That’s what I heard,” Seunghwan mumbled. “But it doesn’t make sense, does it? He’s part of the Intelligence branch, I thought, so why would Director Lee fire him?”

Something about it was rubbing Dongmin the wrong way. Things weren’t quite adding up. There wasn’t any reason for Dongmin’s father to fire him. He should have contacted the Intelligence director and allowed them to handle it. 

Then there was Myungjun’s way of going out - screaming about killing Director Lee, about the evils of Kyklos, about how Director Lee was a murderer.

Dongmin stopped before they exited the building. He squeezed Seunghwan’s hand and said, “I need to go talk to my dad.”

Seunghwan raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure? I was going to take you out for a celebratory lunch. My treat.”

“I won’t be too long, so if you just want to go home and wait for me, we can still go out,” Dongmin promised.

Seunghwan relented, as he always did. He was really too kind, too good for Dongmin. He kissed Dongmin once before bidding him farewell, and allowed Dongmin the chance to turn around and rush back into the lobby.

As Dongmin made his way to his father’s office, he couldn’t help ponder the abnormality of such a thing happening within Kyklos. When workers were fired, it was usually done less dramatically. It was also done by the director of the branch the worker was in; Myungjun was Intelligence and had no reason to mingle with Cargo and Transportation, and yet, according to all the rumors, he was fired  _ by _ the director of Cargo and Transportation. So why? 

Had it been Dongmin’s fault?

He and Seunghwan had told his father about seeing Myungjun in a room he had no business being in. Did that lead to his firing? 

Dongmin took a deep breath in an effort to try and clear his mind a little bit. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding. Or, perhaps, he just was listening to rumors that probably had no basis in reality. Whatever the case, he knew he ought not to panic. His father would clear things up.

The secretary let him in easily; he was recognizable as Director Lee’s son, and it had its perks in times like these. He offered her a brief smile before stepping into his father’s office and clearing his throat.

Director Lee instantly smiled. “Dongmin! I’m so glad you came to see me! How was your interview? Did things go well?”

Dongmin nodded. “I think so,” he responded. He didn’t care too much about the job. While he hoped he got it, he wouldn’t be disappointed if it ended up going to someone else. He was just applying for something to do. “Seunghwan is taking me out to eat in a little bit.”

His father looked pleased. “I’m so happy things are going well between the two of you. Seunghwan seems like he likes you very much.”

“I...I like him,” Dongmin affirmed. He sat down and took a deep breath. “I, um, just meant to ask you about...that employee you fired.”

“Oh.” His father’s smile didn’t fall, but his body tensed. He hid it well enough by leaning back in his chair. “I suppose you did hear about that. Word spread rather quickly.”

Dongmin bit his lip. He knew names of terminated employees was confidential, but he still blurted out, “Was it Myungjun who got fired?”

Director Lee raised his eyebrows. “Why would you think that?”

“I mean, people have been saying it was an Intelligence employee, and...and Seunghwan and I told you about that one Intelligence employee who was messing with official files - was it him?”

Dongmin hoped his father would reject that notion. Dongmin hoped the rumors had just gotten out of hand. Instead, his father nodded to confirm things as truth, and Dongmin slouched in his seat. Guilt rushed over him as he pondered what this meant.

He got someone fired. He ruined someone’s livelihood. What if Myungjun had family he was taking care of? What if this job was important to him?

Then again, if it  _ was _ so important, surely he wouldn’t be manipulating official and secret files, right?

“Don’t look so upset, Dongmin,” Dongmin’s father suddenly said. 

“It’s...my fault he got fired, though.”

“Don’t say that. It isn’t your fault at all, I  _ promise _ . Myungjun has a history of hacking into our systems and doing stuff he shouldn’t be, unfortunately. I believe he was selling company information to competitors.”

It sounded plausible. After all, Dongmin couldn’t think what else Myungjun would have been doing. It made him feel a little less bad, knowing that Myungjun was performing illegal acts for a long time, but something  _ still _ didn’t add up.

“Why did  _ you _ fire him, though? Why not the...the director of Intelligence.”

“Myungjun had been manipulating files about the  _ KCS Ambition _ , which is one of my cargo ships. The director of Intelligence, therefore, believed it fell under my jurisdiction to punish Myungjun as I saw fit. He threw a tantrum, though. Myungjun, that is. I ended up having security drag him out of the building. It’s unfortunate - Myungjun was extremely talented and smart. He wasted it, though.”

Dongmin blinked. “The... _ KCS Ambition? _ ” he repeated. That was the ship Bin was on. What was Myungjun doing with files of the  _ Ambition? _ It was a small cargo ship with a newer crew. Why would Myungjun have an interest in  _ that _ ship?

“I think he was selling information about its cargo, perhaps. I’m really not sure, he wouldn’t tell us, and he’s remarkable at technology. He managed to keep everyone in the dark for such a long time.”

“No one on the  _ KCS Ambition _ is involved, right?”

His father pursed his lips in thought, then shook his head. “No. Myungjun didn’t give any indication that they knew what was going on. I thought, at first, he had help but I think he was working alone.” Director Lee suddenly smiled. “But it’s nothing for you to worry yourself over, Dongmin. You need to go celebrate with Seunghwan, alright? You probably aced that interview - I know you did! Seunghwan should be proud to have such a wonderful man as yourself by his side.”

Dongmin felt a bit less guilty and a bit more relieved after talking to his father. Things made sense, too, and so he stood up and returned the smile. “Alright,” he murmured. “We’ll come by for dinner, though, so please make me something delicious.”

“You’re a fussy son,” his father teased, then waved at him. “Have fun! I’ll see you tonight, Dongmin. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Dongmin replied. He meant it, too. His heart was much lighter than it was when he had shown up, and he was able to leave the room feeling as if he had no worries or troubles.

Things would be fine with Bin. That was all that mattered to him now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please make sure to read snibnoom's chapter 14 next!!!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	15. Mars .08

He had left a note to a man loyal to the Rebellion cause. He had told the man what Jinwoo looked like and how to catch his attention. The note detailed how Jinwoo should proceed in this rescue mission. Though Myungjun wasn’t sure if he would be rescued at this point. It had been three days, and still h was stuck on Mars, hiding from all Syndicate members or law enforcement figures, grabbing food when he could and staying up all night in order to ensure he wasn’t caught.

It had been a miserable three days, and Myungjun prayed that Jinwoo would come. While the Rebellion was far more likely to leave Myungjun for dead, Jinwoo, at least, would want to save him. Jinwoo was such a strong leader who truly cared for those he worked with, and he would  _ never _ leave anyone for dead.

Of course, Myungjun hoped that he could mean something more to Jinwoo. A few times during their CTL conversations, Jinwoo would say something that made Myungjun certain that they both held mutual feelings for each other, but nothing ever came out of it. They had agreed to make things as casual, as business-related as possible. Their work was dangerous and they were far apart; they needn’t start a relationship with so many hurdles to pass over.

Now, though, Myungjun wished they had. If he had confirmation that Jinwoo  _ loved _ him, at least he would then have confirmation that Jinwoo would save him.

As it was, he was a bit wary. Would Jinwoo risk the safety of his entire crew to find him? Would he risk the  _ Rebellion _ to find him?

Myungjun selfishly prayed he would.

He glanced down at the cheap watch he had bought. It was old, pawned in some shop, lacking all sorts of electronics and GPS and anything else his other watch had. No one could track him with this, and he could still have some indication of the time.

He waited for the extra six minutes before taking a deep breath and standing up from where he was hiding, around the backside of a building, close to their dumpster. He stuck sunglasses on his face, thankful it was bright outside, and tried his best to look as normal and unbothered as possible as he joined in with other Mars citizens walking to and from various shops. He took his time, pretending to admire displays in windows or else the view nearby, but he made certain he stuck to the strict schedule he had laid out for Jinwoo. 

Continuing to check his watch, he slowly began his walk past the bench, located several feet away. Trying not to appear too anxious, he glanced over.

It was empty.

His heart plummeted, and an uneasy feeling rose up in his stomach. Jinwoo wasn’t there. Jinwoo wasn’t waiting for him. He could hardly believe it. He stumbled over his own feet, bumping into a lady, and issued a soft apology to her with his head tucked into his chest.

Jinwoo hadn’t come.

Maybe tomorrow he would. Maybe he was held up. Myungjun was  _ sure _ Jinwoo just wouldn’t leave him so he sighed. Tomorrow was a likely option.

Tomorrow, though, was so far away, and with each day that passed, the Syndicate officials would continue their search. Staying in one spot for this long was bound to catch the attention of the locals, anyway. They might spread word of what he was doing, and then he would be caught. Would the Syndicate take the time to exile him? Or would they just kill him, as they had originally planned to?

They would kill him.

They would catch him soon, and they would end his life. Either that, they would take him in for information about the Rebellion. Rebels had told Myungjun horror stories of being interrogated and tortured for what they knew. He wasn’t sure if the stories were accurate or not, but the thought made him freeze in his tracks. 

He  _ would _ be killed.

It didn’t matter if the Syndicate killed him, or if he took his own life. Either way, he would die by the end of the week. Jinwoo wasn’t there for him, and Myungjun couldn’t keep waiting around. He had to move, lest he be discovered lingering about. If he could catch that shop owner again, he could leave a new note for Jinwoo that detailed where he could look.

Myungjun spun around, ready to run and locate the shop owner again, but then he noticed someone standing on that bench.

_ Jinwoo _ .

Myungjun felt hope, once more, take a hold of him. He tried (and failed) to hide a smile forming on his face as he began to walk closer to the bench.

Jinwoo, though, wasn’t looking at him. Instead, Jinwoo seemed to spot another man nearby, dressed in a black jacket with the hood covering his head. It was that man Jinwoo scrambled for, hopping off the bench and rushing toward. Myungjun felt amused, though still slightly panicked, as Jinwoo reached out for the arm of the stranger.

_ What an idiot _ .

Myungjun truly loved Jinwoo, and as he hurried forward, he felt like his heart was going to burst, far too filled with love and adoration to ever be back to normal again. 

Jinwoo had apologized and allowed the stranger to leave, and just as he stepped back, Myungjun grabbed onto him.

“Come on,” Myungjun whispered, dragging him away from sight of the public, turning around a corner or two before pushing Jinwoo into a little crevice of a run-down shop.

He hardly had a chance to remove his sunglasses before Jinwoo suddenly embraced him, hugging him tightly and keeping him close. Myungjun hadn’t touched Jinwoo in months; it was such a foreign feeling now, and he couldn’t breathe properly, too alight with excitement and exhilaration.

“Myungjun,” Jinwoo whispered, threading fingers through Myungjun’s hair. “Oh, god, Myungjun, I’m so sorry.”

Myungjun hummed, burying his nose into Jinwoo’s neck. He breathed deeply, inhaling Jinwoo’s scent, then hugged him all the more. “It’s fine.”

“It isn’t fine! You were almost caught, and I...I’m sorry I was so late, and...I promised I’d protect you, and I wasn’t able-”

“Shh.” Myungjun pulled back to put a finger up on Jinwoo’s lips. However, he realized how dirty his hands probably were - he hadn’t bathed in three days. He drew it away with an apology, then murmured, “Don’t get teary right now, Jinwoo. If you cry, I’ll definitely cry, and we can’t cry. We need to get out of here.”

Jinwoo nodded his head. “Right,” he agreed, wiping his eyes free of any tears that had been building up. He sniffed once, took a large breath, and then seemed to compose himself. He grabbed Myungjun’s hand and peeked around the corner of the crevice, ensuring no Syndicate employees were nearby. “Let’s get back to my ship,” he murmured.

Myungjun, already mourning the loss of warmth and comfort he had received within Jinwoo’s arms, asked, “What...what about your crew? They’ll see me, won’t they?”

“Most of them are off enjoying a bit of a vacation,” Jinwoo responded, and he pulled Myungjun out from the protection of their hiding spot and tried his best to blend in as he and Myungjun walked, hand in hand, toward the landing deck. “Actually, I think we might have it to ourselves until Sanha and Minhyuk decide to return. Bin’s spending some time with Dongmin, trying to see what he knows, and I told the others who  _ aren’t _ involved to just relax elsewhere. They don’t want to be cooped up on a ship, obviously, so they eagerly took my suggestion.” Jinwoo smiled over at Myungjun and joked, “Though, it was definitely more of a command than it was a suggestion.”

Myungjun adored seeing Jinwoo in his captain persona. Jinwoo was a leader, through and through, and he shone greatly in his position. He was charming and strong and oh-so-gorgeous.

“How long will I be able to hide out on your ship?” Myungjun questioned. “What about when you-”

He couldn’t finish that sentence, however. Jinwoo suddenly pushed him up against the wall, and with no warning, kissed him.

It was their first kiss. It was the first time they had ever kissed, and Myungjun had thought it would go a bit differently. He assumed, if Jinwoo did truly love him, then they would kiss underneath starlight, romantic and soft and gentle. This was a lot different, pressed against the side of some building, Jinwoo’s tongue practically down his throat, and Jinwoo’s large hands covering Myungjun’s cheeks.

Just as suddenly as it had started, however, it was over. Jinwoo pulled back from their intimate embrace. His face was red, and he stammered out an apology. “I-I’m  _ so _ sorry, Myungjun. There was a Syndicate officer, and I didn’t want him to recognize you, an-and I apologize for doing-”

Myungjun didn’t want to hear the rest. That kiss was so exhilarating, and Myungjun desired more. He grasped Jinwoo’s collar and pulled him in for another kiss, this one a replica of their first kiss in his mind; romantic and soft and gentle. When he released Jinwoo, the captain’s ears were now a bright red and his eyes were wide. Myungjun giggled and poked his cheek.

“Sorry.” Now it was Myungjun’s turn to apologize. “I’ve just been wanting to do that for a  _ long _ time.”

Jinwoo’s grin could rival Myungjun’s own. Myungjun felt so happy, knowing Jinwoo  _ liked _ the kiss, and he moved to hug Jinwoo. He wanted to feel warm again, as he had when Jinwoo first found him, but Jinwoo shook his head. “Not now,” he muttered, brushing Myungjun’s hair aside. “Let’s get to the ship first.  _ Then _ ...then you can hug me for as long as you’d like to.”

Myungjun hooked arms with Jinwoo instead. He felt very much like some young couple on holiday, and he hoped they looked it, too. He hoped others would see Captain Park Jinwoo rendezvousing with  _ him _ .

Though, it was less rendezvousing and more trying to get to the ship undetected.

They tried their best to stick within larger groups of people, following behind at a close, acting as if they were normal citizens just out for a stroll. Myungjun’s heart, though, pounded in his chest as he saw the loading dock coming into view.

“There’s the  _ Ambition _ ,” Jinwoo whispered to him, then nodded politely to some other pilot nearby. “You’ll be fine. Promise.”

Myungjun inhaled deeply and didn’t release that breath. He waited as Jinwoo punched in numbers to open the entryway, and finally,  _ finally _ , Myungjun was pulled into safety.

He didn’t waste a second in grabbing Jinwoo and hugging him close. As the doors closed behind them, he realized how much danger he had been in.

He also realized how hungry he was, how dirty he was, and how exhausted he was.

Jinwoo hugged him back, running his fingers through Myungjun’s greasy hair. “I’m so happy I found you,” Jinwoo whispered. “I’ll never let you go again.”

Myungjun tightened his hold and buried his face into Jinwoo’s neck. He closed his eyes, then responded, “I’ll hold you to that, Jinnie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please make sure to read snibnoom's chapter 15 next!!!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	16. Mars .09

Myungjun stared at himself in the mirror. He looked exhausted and gross. His eyes had dark bags underneath and his hair was greasy. He hadn’t bathed in a few days, not since he had been caught, and it certainly showed. 

Fortunately, Jinwoo had noticed how tired Myungjun was. He showed him the bathroom and supplied him with a towel and clean clothes. He had kissed Myungjun’s head, too, despite Myungjun stammering about how dirty he was, and had whispered, “Once you’re clean, I’ll let you get some rest, okay?”

Jinwoo was too good for him. Jinwoo was too good for  _ anyone _ . 

Myungjun stripped himself of his clothes and left them on the ground. They were dirty, anyway, and he didn’t care any longer about them. As he waited for the water to warm, he thought about how much Jinwoo had risked in coming to find him. What were they going to do about the rest of the crew when they came back on board? What was Jinwoo going to do about the Rebellion leaders? What was he going to do about the Syndicate?

There was so much Jinwoo now had to fix, so much damage control to be figured out, and Myungjun felt bad for causing trouble. If only he had been better at hiding things and keeping secrets, this wouldn’t be happening. Myungjun would still work with the Syndicate and could still pass over information. Now…

Now what?

Myungjun stepped into the shower and closed his eyes as the warm water encased him. He felt some tension and stress seep out from his tired bones, but he still couldn’t shake off his anxiety. 

What was he to do now?

Could he stay with Jinwoo and the rest of the crew? Was that an option for him? What if the Syndicate requested his presence elsewhere? Now that Jinwoo had kissed him, now that their feelings were out in the open, Myungjun didn’t want to part from his side. But how could he hide himself properly and still be useful while aboard the  _ Ambition? _ It wasn’t possible. He was a liability on board.

Jinwoo knew this, too. Myungjun  _ knew _ that Jinwoo knew. There was no way he didn’t. Jinwoo was smart and capable and he was aware of the immense amount of trouble he would be in now that he was sheltering Myungjun.

Myungjun grabbed blindly at the soap but he didn’t move yet to wash himself.

His heart hammered as he thought how close he was to dying. He remembered the way one of the Syndicate officers had grabbed at his jaw, had  _ squeezed _ it, as they discussed how to rid themselves of him. He rubbed at the affected spot as fear overtook him.

He had been so close to being murdered. He escaped just barely and had lived three days with the knowledge that someone could find and kill him at any moment.

Myungjun gave a shuddering breath. He lowered himself down to the floor of the shower and crouched, pulling his knees up to his chest and trying to calm himself down.

Adrenaline had kept him going for days. Pure survival instincts had kicked in and he hadn’t gotten the chance to actually cry. Now, though, now that he was safe and could put his guard down, he started to cry.

He sobbed in that shower, praying the sound of rushing water was enough to stifle the sound of his cries. Big fat tears mixed in with the droplets already running down his face, and he couldn’t differentiate from what was hitting the floor. He felt like he was drowning, though, struggling to breathe, and he buried his face into his hands and tried his best to gather some sort of composure back.

In the end, he knew he spent far more time crying than actually showering. He felt bad as he turned the water off, sniffling still to himself, because he knew he shouldn’t take up so much time. Jinwoo might need to shower, too.

He dried himself off and checked his face again in the mirror. He still looked exhausted, and on top of that, his eyes were red-rimmed and still a bit watery. He cursed lightly to himself and began to dress.

Jinwoo’s clothes fit him just fine. They smelled like him, too, and it calmed Myungjun a bit, made him remember he wasn’t actually alone, not while Jinwoo was around with him. Together, they could take on anything. Even if things seemed absolutely hopeless, Myungjun knew that Jinwoo would never leave him alone.

Sure enough, as soon as he opened the bathroom door, Jinwoo was waiting.

The captain looked a little sheepish. He smiled awkwardly, then muttered, “I, um...wasn’t sure if you would need me - I heard you, uh, in the shower, and...I just...I’m here if you  _ do _ need me. If you want to kick me out, I understa-”

Myungjun rushed forward and hugged Jinwoo suddenly, tightly, nearly tackling him to the ground with the embrace. Jinwoo seemed surprised at first before he hugged back, allowing Myungjun to hang onto him.

“It’s alright,” Jinwoo murmured to him. “You’re safe now.”

Myungjun buried his face in the crook of Jinwoo’s neck. He gripped at the man’s clothes and then choked out, “I thought I was going to die.”

Jinwoo rubbed a hand up and down his back. “I wouldn’t allow you to die.”

“I lost everything,” Myungjun continued, once more trying not to cry. “I-I already lost my family back on Helen, an-and I lost my home on Mars - why does this keep happening?”

Jinwoo kissed his cheek. “We’ll go see your family,” he promised. “We can try to help them, maybe bring them on board, and you can be with them again. Your home will be with them.”

Myungjun nodded his head, but then murmured, “And with you.”

Jinwoo pulled back slightly and looked over at Myungjun’s face. He brushed aside Myungjun’s wet bangs. “You mean that, right?”

“Of course I do!” Myungjun sniffled. He rubbed at his nose. “I...I love you.”

The captain smiled widely. He kissed Myungjun once more, this time on the lips, and lingered in that spot for a few seconds before whispering, “I love you, Myungjun.”

Myungjun felt like he might start crying again. Even if the past few days had taken their toll on him, he felt lighter than he had in  _ weeks _ . Jinwoo was with him and Jinwoo loved him. Jinwoo also promised they could rescue his parents. Perhaps now, finally, things would start looking up. Perhaps he needed a horrible adventure to finally find peace.

He returned back to his position in their embrace, swaying slightly with Jinwoo where they stood. They remained there for a short while, warm and safe, and then Jinwoo said, “I’d like to fix your hair.”

“Fix it?” Myungjun ruffled his own, damp hair. “Dry it, you mean?”

“No. Uh...the crew will...they might...if the Syndicate begins labeling you as lost in order to make sure you’re found so you can’t talk, then they might post your picture around. I don’t want any of our crew to recognize you. You have really pretty hair - it’s thick and full, and it’d be recognizable. I’d like to cut it, maybe color it, and then no one will know it’s you.”

Myungjun tensed in Jinwoo’s arms. He quite liked his own hair. He took good care of it. Back on Helen, hair was never a priority, but when he had the luxury to live on Mars, he did his best to look presentable. People were jealous of how thick his hair was, how soft it was, and Myungjun wasn’t sure about dyeing it. Cutting it short was one hurdle he might be able to cross - dyeing it was not.

“Do we have to dye it?” he quietly asked, playing with the collar of Jinwoo’s uniform.

Jinwoo smiled softly at him. “You’ll still be extremely handsome,” he assured.

“I’m not worried about that - I  _ know _ I’m handsome. I just...don’t want to ruin my hair.”

“I’ll do my best not to ruin it,” Jinwoo promised. 

He led Myungjun back into the bathroom and wrapped the towel around his neck. He pulled up a chair and got out supplies and Myungjun stared at himself in the mirror as Jinwoo got to work. 

Myungjun had only trimmed his hair before. He never allowed it to grow super long, but he enjoyed having bangs and enough hair to run his fingers through. He was mad if stylists cut it  _ too _ short - and Jinwoo was definitely cutting it too short. Myungjun could only watch as large pieces of hair fell from his head and scattered on the ground. Myungjun muttered out, “Not so short.”

Jinwoo just responded, “I have to make sure they don’t recognize you, Junnie.”

Which meant that it was going to be super short.

Jinwoo shaved the sides of it next. Myungjun bit his lip as even more hair was off. His bangs were gone and the fluffy volume he loved so much was gone. There wasn’t even enough hair left to run his fingers through.

Jinwoo dried it and brushed off stray hairs from his shoulders, and without stopping to see how things looked, he instantly began the dyeing process.

Bleaching hair hurt, Myungjun realized. He had to wait for a while for the dye to sit, and his scalp itched and burned. He kept asking, “Can you take it out?” but Jinwoo, watching the time tick by, kept shaking his head.

It seemed like ages before enough time passed and Jinwoo could rinse it all out. He wore gloves and had Myungjun lean back into the shower. Myungjun kept his eyes closed, but he could feel Jinwoo’s fingers massaging his poor scalp. 

He wished he could have kept his hair for a day or two, long enough to feel Jinwoo comb it and brush it and ruffle it. 

He wished, too, he could be normal for a while so he wouldn’t even have to worry about getting caught.

The water soon ran clear, and that was when Jinwoo turned the shower off and towel-dried Myungjun’s hair. He wouldn’t let Myungjun look at himself in the mirror until it was no longer damp, and then he stepped back.

Jinwoo’s worried expression stared at him in the mirror as Myungjun gazed at his new hairdo.

It was short -  _ way _ too short. The sides were shaved down until there was hardly anything left, and the top had just enough hair to be a bit longer. It was choppy in some places; cutting hair clearly wasn’t Jinwoo’s strong suit.

He was bleached blond and had shaved hair and he thought he looked horrible.

His chin quivered as he struggled not to cry. He wouldn’t cry over something so trivial, and yet he finally had to look away and take a deep, shuddering breath.

“I’m so sorry,” Jinwoo murmured as if sensing Myungjun’s displeasure.

Myungjun shook his head. “It isn’t your fault.”

“I’d take you somewhere to get it done, to some stylist, but...I just...I don’t want you to be recognized. I don’t want you taken from me, not when I just got you.”

“It’s fine, Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo was silent for a second or two before he moved forward and wrapped his arms around Myungjun’s waist. He kissed at his neck and whispered, “You’re so handsome.”

Myungjun wiped at his eyes. “You’re supposed to say that because you...you love me.”

“I fell for you first because of how hot I thought you were. And having short, blond hair doesn’t detract at all from it. In fact, it allows me to see more of your face, and  _ god _ , your face just shines.”

Myungjun spared himself a glance in the mirror again. He was ugly. A lack of sleep had ruined his bright-eyed expression and his hair didn’t mesh well at all with his skin tone and facial shape. “Whoever you’re looking at isn’t Kim Myungjun.”

Jinwoo spun Myungjun around, away from the mirror, and kissed him again. “Junnie,” he said. “I truly think you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes; you make me breathless.”

Myungjun felt himself blush. He wrinkled his nose and tried to hide his pleasure by asking, “Could I at least wear something to cover my hair?”

Jinwoo gave him one of his fancy uniformed hats. “I wear this when we meet with important Syndicate directors,” Jinwoo said, fitting it over Myungjun’s hair. “And at the end of my training, we had a ceremony, and I got to wear this hat.” He smiled. “It looks really good on you.”

Myungjun felt like a true boyfriend right then, getting something important from his lover to show off their couple status. He had to look at himself in the mirror one more time, and he found that the hat not only hid his hair and put a shadow over his face, but it was also  _ Jinwoo’s _ and somehow anything of Jinwoo’s was instantly perfect.

“Can I have this hat?” Myungjun asked him with enthusiasm, spinning around to stare at Jinwoo. “Or, at least, can I have it until you need it?”

“Of course. You look cuter in it than I ever could,” Jinwoo teased him. He kissed Myungjun’s cheek and took his hand. “Now,  _ Captain _ , shall I show you around the ship?”

Myungjun laughed and nodded. “I’d love to see the ship,  _ Captain _ .”

Jinwoo’s tour was sweet. Every stop bared some sort of significance to their relationship. At least, that was how Jinwoo made it all seem. He showed off the bridge where he “thought constantly of returning to Mars for my Junnie.” He showed off the kitchen where he “imagined eating breakfast and lunch and dinner with my Junnie.” He showed off the cargo bay where he “imagined sitting on those boxes and talking with my Junnie.” He showed off Bin’s room as Bin stared at them and said he “always hoped Bin would leave and be replaced with my Junnie.”

Bin rolled his eyes. “You two are gross,” he said, pushing past them to go somewhere. 

Jinwoo whispered, loudly, “He’s just jealous because I have the cutest boyfriend ever.”

“Boyfriend?” Myungjun asked, raising his eyebrows.

Jinwoo swallowed nervously. “Um...I figured, since we’re in love, and...I mean, we kissed a lot, didn’t we? And...I’d like to be your boyfriend, if you’d-”

“I’d  _ love _ to be your boyfriend!” Myungjun exclaimed, plastering himself to Jinwoo’s side and leaning his head onto Jinwoo’s shoulder. “We’ll be the best couple ever! And we can have breakfast and lunch and dinner together and sit on boxes and talk and I’ll make sure I’m the perfect boyfriend for you.”

Jinwoo laughed, looking very much relieved. He dipped Myungjun’s hat and murmured, “You already are the perfect boyfriend.”

Myungjun beamed.

They ate together, after Myungjun’s stomach began to rumble. Jinwoo was quick to put together a nice meal, and he even fed Myungjun various bites of food. It was cute and domestic and Myungjun felt satisfied and content. He hadn’t been so free since he and Jinwoo last hung out, while Jinwoo was still training and before they had to hide every last detail of everything they did.

Myungjun mentioned it, too. As they cleaned up, he leaned into Jinwoo and muttered, “I’m happy.”

“Are you?” Jinwoo asked, smiling over at him.

Myungjun nodded his head. He was grinning so widely he thought his cheeks would split open. “I’m safe and I’m with you and...and things will work out now, won’t they? Things will be okay now, right?”

Jinwoo kissed Myungjun’s nose, then giggled. He sounded so cute. It was so different from their CLT conversation, where things could sometimes sound weird and where Jinwoo was never in a physical form. He was  _ real _ , and Myungjun could hardly believe they were back together.

“Things will be okay,” Jinwoo promised. He hooked arms with Myungjun as they retreated back to the captain’s quarters. “Now that I’ve got you back, I swear I’m never going to let you go.”

Myungjun hummed and swung their hands. “That sounds nice,” he said. “I’ll hold you to that, you know.”

“I know. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.”

Myungjun had to relinquish the hat so he could sleep, but Jinwoo still combed his fingers through what little hair was left. As Myungjun settled down into bed, Jinwoo sat right beside him, staring down fondly at his face. 

“You really need to sleep,” Jinwoo murmured. “You haven’t been able to sleep much recently, have you?”

“No,” Myungjun yawned. He gently grabbed Jinwoo’s hand and brought it to his lips where he could plant a few kisses on each of the knuckles. “It might be too hard to sleep right now,” he whispered. “I just want to keep looking at you.”

Jinwoo laughed. “You can do that when you wake up,” he promised. “I’m going to be right beside you for as long as you’re asleep.”

“I might sleep for a few days, with how tired I am.” Now that his head was on a pillow, now that he was safe and secure, now that he was within Jinwoo’s warmth, he could feel sleep threatening to overtake him. His eyes grew droopy and his body relaxed into the bed.

“Then I’ll wait with you for a few days.”

Myungjun whined and nudged Jinwoo. “You have captain stuff to do. You can’t spend all your time with me.”

“We’re on break - I totally  _ can  _ and  _ will _ spend all my time with you.” Jinwoo went back to gently combing his fingers across Myungjun’s scalp. “Sleep well, Junnie.”

Myungjun smiled as he closed his eyes. “See you when I wake up, Jinnie.”

He could hear the smile on Jinwoo’s face as the man responded, “I love you.”

Myungjun grinned into the pillow and mumbled, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please make sure to read snibnoom's chapter 16! it's very very good if u like binu ;D
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	17. Mars .10

Anxiety grows and flourishes in Minhyuk’s chest as he and Sanha make their way slowly back to the _K.C.S. Ambition_. He hadn’t wanted to return to the ship, though he and Sanha had run out of things to do in the city and it was beginning to grow dark. He had suggested that they, perhaps, get a hotel room so they don’t have to sleep on the ship again, but Sanha had simply laughed at him.

“Let’s not waste money if we don’t have to,” Sanha stated, happily smiling over at Minhyuk. “Besides, aren’t you curious to see if Jinwoo has managed to find…” He glances around, ensuring nobody is listening into their conversation, then whispers, “MJ?”

Minhyuk shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m excited to meet him. Jinwoo always talks about him like he’s the coolest person ever, and he _is_ pretty cool, isn’t he? He’s been able to get all this information for us. I don’t even know how he does it. Do you?”

Minhyuk shrugs again, and Sanha stares at him in confusion.

“I thought you and MJ were friends when you were kids. Why are you so apathetic about meeting him again?”

Thoughts flitted about through Minhyuk’s head. He knew better, though, than to tell Sanha anything about his past. He had to keep it inside, as he had been doing for a long time, and even if he was bursting with guilt, he stayed silent.

He lied, “I’m not apathetic. I’m just...not holding my breath that Jinwoo found him. If Kyklos wants him gone, they’ll get rid of him.”

Sanha studied him as they walked, and he asked, “Aren’t you sad?”

“I’ve steeled myself for that possibility. If it happens, then...then I’ll figure out my feelings. Right now, I’d rather not think about what _could_ happen to him.”

It was enough to get Sanha off his back, in any case, and Minhyuk was able to breathe a sigh of relief - which he needed to take back the moment they arrived to the ship.

Sanha was excited. Sanha had been the only member of their small rebellion group about the _Ambition_ to have never met Myungjun. He wondered what he would be like in person - if he was as short as Bin described and if he was as pretty as Jinwoo described. He asked all of this to Minhyuk, who tightened his jaw as they entered the ship.

Nobody met them once they were on board. Things were empty and dark and Minhyuk muttered, “Guess Jinwoo didn’t find him.”

Sanha wrinkled his nose. “Where’s Jinwoo, then? Do you think he’s in his room?”

“He might be sleeping. Let’s not check.” Minhyuk stretched his arms out in front of him. “It’d be silly of us to wake him up just to confirm something we already know.”

“What if he’s upset?” Sanha questioned. “If he didn’t find MJ, he...he might be really upset. Shouldn’t we try to talk to him? We can think up a new plan, a new way to find MJ.” As he deposited his bags, the pilot continued, “What do you think MJ would do if Jinwoo didn’t find him? Would he have to run to get away again? You...you don’t think Kyklos captured him already, do you? Will they exile him like Minsoo, or-”

“Sanha,” Minhyuk stated, his voice strong and steady. Inside, though, he felt his stomach flip. As much as he wasn’t ready to face Myungjun after so much time had passed, he didn’t want his friend in the hands of the Syndicate. He wanted Myungjun to be safe and sound. He wanted Myungjun out of this mess. His friend _deserved_ to be out of this mess. He deserved to live a happy life where he had nothing at all to worry about.

Minhyuk felt conflicted and he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Let’s not talk about Myungjun right now.” If he ignored the issue at hand, perhaps it would all go away. He wouldn’t have to talk about it or think about it.

Sanha pouted, but seemed willing enough to do as Minhyuk said. Together, they walked the halls back to their own room, and Minhyuk appreciated the silence. He didn’t want to deal with the Myungjun issue at the moment.

He opened his mouth to apologize for getting frustrated, but he was unable to get even a word out when he suddenly heard a voice behind him: “Minhyuk?”

Sanha spun around faster than Minhyuk did, and gasped, “MJ!”

Dread filled Minhyuk’s core as he, too, turned around. Jinwoo stood there, smiling proudly, his hand resting on Myungjun’s back. Myungjun looked weird - different. His hair was shaved, bleached blond. His eyes were sagging with exhaustion and they were outlined with dark circles. Clearly the events that had transpired within the past few days had taken their toll on him. Still, he grinned widely, unable to hide his happiness. “Minhyuk!” he exclaimed, completely ignoring Sanha for the time being.

Minhyuk blinked, then smartly said, “What happened to your-?” He couldn’t get much out before Jinwoo glared sharply at him.

So the hair topic would be a touchy subject. Good to know.

Myungjun laughed. He hurried forward, closing the distance between the two of them, and he gathered Minhyuk up in a hug. He was smaller than Minhyuk, and yet despite how obviously tired and worn he was, he still squeezed Minhyuk as tightly as he could. “Oh, _god_ , Minhyuk, I’ve missed you so much!” he whispered. “Jinwoo always told me how you were doing, but it wasn’t the same as seeing you.” He pulled back and examined Minhyuk’s face. “How are you? Have you been eating well? I told Jinwoo that he’d better be taking care of you, or else I’d beat him up.”

Minhyuk managed to smile. He patted Myungjun’s shoulder. “I’m fine,” he promised. “The food on the ship sucks, but it’s...we _have_ food, at least.”

Myungjun grimaced. Minhyuk knew that he caught the reference. When they lived together on Helen, most families hardly had any money for food. Minhyuk remembered his own parents, countless times, relinquish their own portions of meals so Minhyuk and his brother could eat more. Even then, it wasn’t enough. When he had moved to Mars, he was overwhelmed with all the choices of food.

Overwhelmed and angry. He couldn’t believe that while he and hundreds of others slaved away under horrible conditions upon Helen, that even the poorest people on Mars could afford full, healthy meals. He had made the choice, then, to work for the Rebellion, with the prompting of both Bin and Myungjun, and he was determined to bring to light their horrible deeds.

Of course, he couldn’t very well point the finger at anyone. Not with the guilt _he_ felt.

“This is Sanha, Myungjun,” Jinwoo suddenly muttered, stepping into place behind Myungjun and pointing out the youngest member of their crew. Sanha beamed and Myungjun’s attention was drawn to him.

Minhyuk felt relief. He didn’t want Myungjun to keep fawning over him. It made him feel horrible.

“Jinwoo told me you’re the youngest pilot to fly one of these ships. That’s impressive.”

Sanha’s chest puffed out in pride. Minhyuk resisted the urge to laugh. Sanha was such a dork. “It took a lot of training,” Sanha said, ever so modest. “I’ve heard a lot about you, though! I think it’s so cool that you and Minhyuk grew up together!”

Myungjun blinked, then glanced over pointedly at Minhyuk, who tried to shake his head without drawing much attention to himself. Fortunately, Jinwoo was quick to step in. “He’s tired, though. Long day. Busy day. He hasn’t slept in...has it been three days, Junnie?”

As if suddenly remembering he was sleepy, Myungjun leaned his head onto Jinwoo’s shoulder and moaned, “Three days of no sleep! I’m so tired, Jinnie.”

Minhyuk was thankful that the awkward exchange between Myungjun and Sanha was over. Poor Sanha still had no idea what the conditions on Helen were truly like. He would make such comments about Minhyuk’s childhood and yet he knew nothing of how dreadful it was.

Sanha was sweet, though. He was naive and a bit innocent and Minhyuk did not want to ruin it all just yet. He didn’t want to reveal how he grew up and how he got off that wretched planet.

Not now. Not yet.

Jinwoo kissed Myungjun’s cheek, and Sanha’s eyes grew wide. “I’m going to get him back to bed,” Jinwoo said. He looked so happy, being used as a pillow for Myungjun. He looked content. He pat down the little bit of hair Myungjun had on his head and muttered, “I’ll talk to you guys about everything tomorrow morning, alright? Sleep well.”

The two of them walked off together, acting as if they were attached at the hip, and Sanha asked, “Did you know they were actually _a couple?_ ”

“I thought it was obvious,” Minhyuk said once they were out of earshot. “Jinwoo’s been talking about him in that way for a while. He has a dreamy look in his eyes whenever he mentions Myungjun.”

Sanha pursed his lips. “I haven’t noticed,” he said, but Minhyuk thought that was to be expected. Sanha was too naive for that sort of thing. A pity, really, because it meant he would probably never notice any of Minhyuk’s advances.

“Anyway,” Sanha continued, “I wonder how Jinwoo was able to get him away from Kyklos. Do you think it was difficult?”

Minhyuk switched on the lights to their room. He didn’t _want_ to think at the moment. He felt emotionally drained from such a short visit with Myungjun. “He mentioned he hadn’t slept in three days,” Minhyuk said. “So it was probably hell trying to get him back to the ship.”

Sanha flopped over onto his bed with a loud huff. “You know,” he muttered, “sometimes I’m...I’m really scared.”

Minhyuk glanced at him. “Why?”

“Why not? Look what happened to MJ. He didn’t sleep for three days. Kyklos could have exiled him, or...or _killed_ him. All because he knows a bunch of terrible stuff they’ve done and he’s trying to stop it. Now he’s hiding out on this ship and I doubt he can truly relax _here_ , even, because the rest of our crew will be back soon, and what if someone starts asking questions about who he is?” Sanha paused for a brief second, then sat up in bed and quietly asked, “Do you have that sort of resolve, Minhyuk? To have to go through so much in order to achieve your goal?”

“I…” Minhyuk swallowed thickly, keeping his face away as he deposited his bags under his bed. “I hope I do.”

Sanha scrutinized him. “But don’t you want to be normal sometimes?”

“Everyone does, at some point or another. But that’s not how reality is. If we know of these horrible things that the Syndicate is doing, shouldn’t we give up normalcy in order to put a stop to it?” He still hid his face, slowly grabbing at some pajamas to wear to bed.

“I guess,” Sanha mumbled, laying back down on top of his covers.

Feeling as if he was a little too harsh, Minhyuk sighed and added, “We are normal. We have normal lives. We just...work differently from everyone else. We work so _they_ can have normal lives, too.”

Sanha seemed content enough with that. He smiled and muttered, “Whatever our lives are like, I think as long as we’re all together, that’s good enough, right?”

Minhyuk couldn’t agree, for a thought nagged the back of his mind.

Did he truly deserve to be in Sanha’s _together?_

He shook his head. No reason to think of anything negative at the moment. He had his own dirty, little secret and he would keep it safe and hidden for as long as necessary.

 

************************

 

The food on the ship was far from satisfactory. It was made for long travels in space, made for survival above taste, and Myungjun, now used to the rich food of Mars, decided that breakfast was bland. He struggled to eat it and when he grimaced, Jinwoo glanced over at him and smiled apologetically. “I’ll try to get some fresh foods on board for you,” he promised.

Myungjun quickly shook his head. Across from him, Sanha kept glancing over and Minhyuk kept his eyes pointed straight at his own food. He didn’t want to be a problem for the rest of the crew, and he assured Jinwoo, “I’ll be fine. I just have to get used to it, though!”

He wasn’t very hungry, regardless of the food. He had slept well throughout the night, but when the morning had come, he realized he was already a strain on everyone else, especially Minhyuk.

Myungjun didn’t know why Minhyuk was suddenly so adverse to him. They used to be best friends when they lived together on Helen, but Minhyuk could hardly stand to look at him now. He was quiet and ignored most of whatever Myungjun had to say. Myungjun tried, all through breakfast, to get Minhyuk to talk to him, but Minhyuk only spoke briefly with Sanha and Jinwoo.

“Is something wrong with Minhyuk?” Myungjun whispered to Jinwoo, as Sanha and Minhyuk went off on their own somewhere else in the ship.

Jinwoo blinked in confusion, then shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. Why?”

“He’s...I don’t know. I thought he’d be happier I was here. We used to be really close - I don’t know why he’s acting like this all of a sudden. He won’t talk to me or look at me and I’m worried I did something-”

“You did _nothing_ wrong,” Jinwoo said. He kissed Myungjun’s forehead and smoothed down his hair - as little hair as there was to smooth down, Jinwoo always seemed to play with it. “Maybe he’s overwhelmed. The situation right now is...a little stressful. He just might be stressed.”

Myungjun knew, though, that the situation was stressful because of _him_. If Jinwoo hadn’t brought him on board the ship, no one would feel the need to even stress.

The situation grew even worse later in the day when Jinwoo had a message delivered to him. On the bridge, he fretted and worried, and Myungjun sat down in silence, watching as Jinwoo slowly came undone.

“They’re sending an inspector on board our ship. _Shit_ , I didn’t even think about inspection! Whenever we land they send one, and I didn’t _think_ about this.” He paced the bridge and Myungjun sat there, tight-lipped, worry swimming in his chest. “I’ll figure something out, though. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t see you, Myungjun. I _swear_ he won’t find you.”

Myungjun thought of the trouble that Jinwoo would be in if the inspector discovered him. He thought of the trouble that _all_ of them would be in; Bin and Sanha and Minhyuk would be punished, too, for knowingly sheltering a fugitive.

“Maybe…” Myungjun started, catching Jinwoo’s attention. “Maybe I should give myself up.”

Jinwoo’s eyes widened. “What?”

“If I stay...then you guys will be in trouble. I don’t want to keep being a burden on everyone. Minhyuk is...he’s already upset. You’re stressed. Sanha seems like just a kid, and he’ll...he’ll have to give up everything he’s worked for, just for me. Bin, too. It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it.”

“Don’t you dare say that.” Jinwoo rushed over to him and helped him up off his feet. “Myungjun, you’re worth it all, and more. I’m not giving you over to the Syndicate, not after what you told me they’ve done to you. They’ll...they’ll kill you if you give yourself up.”

Myungjun thought that they would kill him anyway if he was found on the ship, and they’d punish Jinwoo and the crew, too. If they were to find him, he wanted it to be _just_ him.

Before he could say any of that, the doors to the bridge opened and Myungjun glanced up to catch sight of Bin.

“Bin,” Jinwoo greeted. He didn’t let Myungjun go. “We have a bit of an issue.”

Myungjun wanted to say _no issue here because I’m going to leave_ , but he didn’t get a chance to. He didn’t know if he wanted to, either. Death scared him, and death was his only other option.

“They have an inspector coming,” Jinwoo continued, and Bin stared at him. “And...he’s going to inspect _everything_. We can’t let him do that. We have compromising materials on board.”

_And me_ , Myungjun wanted to say, until he realized he would probably be included in the _compromising materials_ category.

“I’m going to call for help to get us off Mars.”

Myungjun glanced over at Jinwoo in surprise. Bin seemed shocked, too.

“Without clearance?” Bin asked.

“It’s the only way,” Jinwoo states. He’s less worried now. He’s level-headed and determined and he gently squeezes Myungjun’s hand as he holds it. “So, did you find anything out from Dongmin?”

Bin glances over at Jinwoo and Myungjun’s conjoined hands. He shakes his head. “I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t? Or _wouldn’t?_ ” Jinwoo’s voice is challenging. Myungjun keeps his gaze down, not wanting to be involved.

“I wouldn’t.” Bin appears a bit more nonchalant and he meets Jinwoo’s challenge head on. “I told you already, but I’m not getting him into this mess.”

“Are you serious?” Jinwoo growls. “After what he did to Myungjun? Bin-”

“What if it _was_ Myungjun?” Bin asks. When Jinwoo seems confused, when Myungjun glances up in concern, Bin continues, “Would you do this to Myungjun? Would you try to force information out of him for the Rebellion, even when you _know_ he has nothing to do with it?”

Jinwoo holds tightly onto Myungjun. “Dongmin knows something,” he snaps. “Even if he isn’t truly involved, he probably knows more than-”

“You’re full of shit,” Bin snaps. Myungjun winces, though he knows the words aren’t aimed toward him. “You always preach to me about not getting involved with others, and you got yourself involved with Myungjun. You always preach to me about following the rules of the Rebellion, but you broke those rules and got us into this mess because of your involvement with Myungjun.” Bin steps back and ends with, “I’ve heard enough from you. Don’t tell me what to do with Dongmin.”

“Bin,” Jinwoo says, but Bin is already hurrying away, out the way he came. “Bin!” Jinwoo calls. Bin doesn’t stop, and Jinwoo doesn’t go to chase him.

Myungjun’s jaw is tight as he struggles to keep himself composed. Even if Bin hadn’t meant for Myungjun to be the one attacked, Myungjun still knows it’s his fault. After all, Dongmin had told on him, and Jinwoo was taking it out on Bin. Bin had to do things he didn’t want to do and now they were apparently all leaving Mars without clearance, which would definitely put them under the radar of suspicion.

All because of him.

“He’s...difficult,” Jinwoo breathed. He turned to Myungjun, the anger dwindling from his eyes, and murmured, “I need to make some calls to the Rebellion, okay? Why don’t you go hang out in my room for a little bit? I’ll be in there to let you know the plan.”

Myungjun nodded. He said nothing. He allowed Jinwoo to kiss him, and then he left the bridge, slowly making his way down the ship hallways. The layout was familiar to him, something he had looked at for countless hours. He had always imagined Jinwoo on the ship. He had traced paths and movements on his computer, wondering what time Jinwoo would sleep and what time he would awaken, wondering which paths were quickest to lead him to bed, and which paths were slowest to allow him time to admire the ship he was captain of.

Now, though, Myungjun only felt pity as he trudged to Jinwoo’s bedroom. This was all his fault, and he wasn’t sure how to ever redeem himself. He was ruining this entire crew simply because he couldn’t handle death, like he had told the Rebellion he could.

He was too cowardly to run out and give himself up, too cowardly to convince Jinwoo of another way to go about things. Instead, he would hide out and let everyone else give up their own livelihood so _he_ could survive.

Once he arrived in Jinwoo’s room, he collapsed onto the bed and buried his face into the pillow, trying to stop his tears and quiet his own sobs.

He only prayed no one would suffer because of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you'll definitely want to read snibnoom's [chapter 17](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/38922650) to get the full story!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)!


	18. Chapter 18

Guilt was eating at him alive.

Minhyuk was so sure he would be consumed by it. He could feel it ravishing him, burning even his insides, and he lay on his bed listless. His stomach felt sick and his heart wouldn’t stop hammering relentlessly against his chest, as if wanting to burst free in order to escape the terrible creature that was guilt.

Minhyuk buried his face into his pillow and took a deep breath. Myungjun was determined to return back to Helen, and while Minhyuk had expressed worry about security, about the time it would take to arrive to the planet, Jinwoo seemed just as determined to make Myungjun’s dream come true. Jinwoo really loved Myungjun, and he disregarded anyone else’s opinion.

He heard the doors open to the room and he picked his head up to glance over. It was Bin, looking a little upset and a little annoyed.

“Hey,” Bin greeted.

“Hi,” Minhyuk replied, pulling himself to a sitting position and staring down at his crossed legs.

Bin watched him for a few seconds, then asked, “Is...is everything alright?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. You’re...acting weird. I think everyone’s noticed it, too.” Bin moved across the room and sat on the bed near Minhyuk. He offered the younger boy a small smile and continued, “I know you and Myungjun were friends on Helen together, but you’ve been...ignoring him a bit. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong, I’m trying to ignore Myungjun _and_ Jinwoo, but...I didn’t expect _you_ to, as well. I also didn’t expect you to try and dissuade Jinwoo from going back to Helen. I think that’s been a shock to everyone. Myungjun’s confused. _I’m_ confused.” His words were kind, yet they penetrated Minhyuk to his core, reminding him of what he had done.

Minhyuk swallowed thickly and muttered, “I...can’t explain it.”

Bin cocked his head. “Explain what?”

“You’ll treat me differently if I tell you why. You’ll tell the others. Myungjun will _hate_ me if he knows what I did.”

His words were met with silence. He was too frightened to look up, and so he kept his head lowered. He bit at the inside of his cheek in order to give himself something to do, and he wrung his hands in his lap, nervous about what Bin would say next.

Bin’s voice, however, was free of any judgement. He simply asked, “What did you do, Minhyuk?”

Should he tell? Can he tell? Wouldn’t Bin’s perception of him change drastically? Minhyuk worried, fretted, but he was able to calm down slightly when Bin reached out to pat his back. “Hey,” Bin whispered, “Whatever you did, you’re still my best friend. Okay?”

Minhyuk nodded his head, and then he blurted out, “Myungjun’s parents aren’t on Helen anymore. The Syndicate took them. I...I betrayed them in order to get off Helen.”

When Bin didn’t respond, Minhyuk felt panicked. He defended himself, “Myungjun sacrificed people, too. Helen is...i-it’s unforgiving. It’s _horrible_. The only way to get off is to...to turn others over to the Syndicate.”

Bin sighed. He still patted Minhyuk’s back, then asked, “Does Myungjun know? I suppose he doesn’t, if he thinks you two are still friends.”

“That’s why we _can’t_ go to Helen, Bin! He’ll discover his parents aren’t there, and then-then he’ll realize what I did.”

“Right.” Bin nodded his head. “Though...what happened to his parents?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are they still alive, at least?”

Minhyuk didn’t answer, and Bin stood up. He quickly stated, “Don’t worry too much about it, Minhyuk. I’ve read the reports about Helen, and if the _reports_ are awful, even those damn sugar-coated Syndicate reports, then living there must have been ten times worse. You were desperate - it’s okay.”

Thankful he wasn’t about to lose his best friend over his betrayal, he asked, “You won’t tell Myungjun, will you?”

“Of course I won’t.” Bin helps Minhyuk stand and smiles brightly at him, as if he still had no clue what Minhyuk had done. He treated Minhyuk the same as always. Some of Minhyuk’s fear and guilt ebbs away. “I’ll help you convince Jinwoo that it’s better we don’t go to Helen. I mean, there’s a million other things we could be doing at the moment. He’s only choosing Helen because Myungjun wants to go, and he’s...he’s lost his damn mind since he brought Myungjun on board. He lost his damn mind when he sent me to go interrogate poor Dongmin, too - he’s not acting like a captain ought to.”

“Will he listen to you, though?” Minhyuk asked. “You two aren’t really on good terms.”

“Which is why I don’t feel bad arguing with him.” Bin gestured to the door. “Come on. Let’s get to him before he pressures poor Sanha into flying to Helen.”

Minhyuk knew that sooner or later, his secret would come out. He was well aware that hiding it forever would be impossible. If Myungjun was this determined to get back to his parents, then surely he would figure out what Minhyuk had done. For the time being, however, he just wanted to remain in Myungjun’s good graces.

He wanted to remain in the good graces of everyone.

 

************************

 

Minhyuk hated him.

That was the only thing Myungjun could think of as he, once more, holed himself up in Jinwoo’s bedroom.

He had continued trying to talk, continued trying to revive their friendship. Minhyuk had ignored him each and every time, turning away to do something else, or talking to whoever was closest to him. He didn’t try to hide his dislike at this point, and Myungjun couldn’t imagine what he had done to deserve such treatment. He had asked, too, “Minhyuk, is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Because you...you seem like we’re strangers - worse, actually, you seem like I’ve done something horrible to you.”

Minhyuk didn’t answer. Minhyuk only glanced around, as if trying to find an out, and Myungjun continued, “If I did something to upset you, will you let me know? I couldn’t live with myself if I’ve-”

“Bin needs me,” Minhyuk said, and he hurried off.

It happened multiple times. Myungjun had asked Jinwoo about it, but Jinwoo had only shaken his head and muttered, “He’s moody, maybe stressed. It’ll pass.”

Bin hated him, too.

Myungjun honestly hadn’t expected _that_ . Then again, he hadn’t expected Minhyuk to hate him, either. But he hardly knew Bin. He met him once or twice with Jinwoo as their mutual friend, back when Bin was training on Mars, and Bin seemed to like him just fine both of those times. He supposed the whole _Dongmin_ situation was weighing down on Bin, but he didn’t know why it was all taken out on _him_.

“Bin doesn’t like me,” Myungjun had mentioned to Jinwoo, after Jinwoo had cursed during one of his many calls to the Rebellion.

“He doesn’t like _me_ ,” Jinwoo had replied. “He’s neutral about you.”

Perhaps. But why was Bin so adamant that they _not_ go to Helen? Why did he not want Myungjun to save his parents. Why did he say that Myungjun wasn’t even part of the crew?

Well, he was right on the last point. Myungjun _wasn’t_ part of the crew. It had been clear enough from the beginning. There was instantly a divide between him and everyone else. Jinwoo had his own issues to deal with, contacting the Rebellion and becoming a fugitive captain and stressing about what to do next. Bin was fighting with Jinwoo, and he had brought an unwilling Myungjun into that fight, as well. Minhyuk was suddenly mad, oddly enough, and ignored Myungjun completely. Sanha…

Sanha had seemed alright from the beginning. He seemed pleasant and nice and excited. However, their sudden take-off from Mars put a damper on his spirit. He was cautious, sullen, and had agreed with Bin and Minhyuk that they shouldn’t go to Helen.

Myungjun sat down on the floor, his back pressed up against Jinwoo’s bed.

Truthfully, he knew that going to Helen was a bad choice. They needed to wait to see what orders the Rebellion had next. If they tried to cut corners, it was likely they would be caught and the entire crew would be punished. However, Myungjun couldn’t tear away from the selfish thought that he _deserved_ to see his parents. They were stuck on that hell-hole and he had always promised himself he would go back and save them. He would get them off Helen and they would all live happily together.

That’s what he assumed he would do, anyway. That’s what Jinwoo had _promised_ him. Late at night, as Myungjun was trying to sleep, Jinwoo had whispered, “Next stop will be Helen; I swear, we’ll rescue your parents, Junnie.”

Myungjun was selfish. He didn’t want Bin and Minhyuk and Sanha to get what they wanted. He knew they were trying to play it safe, but he didn’t _want_ to play it safe. He wanted to go straight to his parents, to disregard any Syndicate members, and to whisk his parents away from a life of slavery and abuse. He didn’t care if Bin or Minhyuk or Sanha got caught along the way anymore. He only longed to go to Helen.

He sighed. “Stupid Myungjun,” he mumbled to himself, leaning his head back and looking up at the lights in Jinwoo’s room. He couldn’t think like that. They had all risked so much to help him and he shouldn’t throw them away so quickly.

 _Jinwoo risked it all to help me_ , he thought suddenly. Jinwoo had been the one to rope everyone else into this mess. They were reluctant and unwilling, for good reason. They just followed along because they had no other choice.

No wonder they must hate him.

The door opened and Jinwoo stormed inside, looking frustrated and nervous. Myungjun eyed him curiously, then asked, voice cautious, “Can...can we go to Helen?”

“No,” came Jinwoo’s curt response. The hope in Myungjun’s chest was shattered. “I have to go to Charon. The Rebellion is...they’re pissed. We’ll talk. I just...I don’t know what will happen. I’ve got this entire crew in danger and…” He sighed and glanced down at his watch. An incoming message screen popped up and he muttered, “I have to go figure things out. I’m sorry.”

He left as quickly as he had come.

Myungjun pulled his knees up to his chest and bit down harshly on his lip. He didn’t belong in this crew. He could offer nothing; he was only ruining things. Poor Jinwoo was in trouble, and the others in the crew might be, as well.

His stomach rumbled, but he didn’t care. He simply chose to sit where he was, to wallow about in grief and in guilt, and to wonder if he made a mistake coming aboard the _KCS Ambition_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you'll definitely want to read snibnoom's [chapter 18](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14982191/chapters/39108514) to get the full story!
> 
> annnnd she's done! part 1 is completed! we'll be working on part two, so stay tuned!
> 
> if you have any questions through the series, feel free to contact me on either my [tumblr](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com) or my [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/nightmjare)! i will update things of part 2 regularly so please come check my twitter for information!


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